Ben
by SilverEcho
Summary: A blonde-haired man is found wandering the desert of Gunsmoke. Can he live a new, quiet life, or will his past always come back to haunt him?
1. Prolouge

Sand swirled around, a nebula of stinging particles. Yet he walked on, wearily brushing his blonde hair out of his face from time to time. A useless gesture, the wind would just blow it back again, but he continued. It was almost as if it were for comfort, not function. Eyes stared wearily ahead, half hidden in the sunken face. He didn't even blink as the wind threw his ragged cloak up in his face.

Through the whirling grains of sand, he could see the faint outline of a building. That meant just one thing. Shelter. Protection from the whirling sting of sand. Slowly, one foot was placed in front of the other, carrying him closer to the house. The wind suddenly grew stronger, one strong gust the pushed viciously against the man. Already weak from hunger and thirst, he fell heavily to the ground, too tired to care. Darkness filled his senses, until only the howl of wind remained.

--

"Hey! Hey you! Are you alive?"

I slowly opened my eyes. Sand lightly crusted my eyelashes and coated my face and hair. When I tried to move, my body felt stiff and heavy. Sand scratched against my skin, filling the creases of my cloak.

Far above me, a person's silhouette hovered. One of the twin suns was directly behind their head, making it impossible to see their face, but from the tone of the voice, it was a girl.

"Oh good, you are. It would have been rather depressing to have a corpse right in front of the house."

I closed my eyes again with a sigh. She made no sense right now. Better to sink back into the comfort of the darkness. That I could easily understand.

"Hey, don't go falling asleep on me now!"

Small, but surprisingly strong hands tugged at me, pulling me to my feet. Unsteady, I felt my body sway as gravity tugged down, determined to claim me. A small arm wrapped firmly around my waist, the other pulling my right arm over slim shoulders. It was thus that I was half carried, half dragged to the house.

I stared blankly ahead, secretly amazed every time I saw one of my feet land in front of me. Each time, my dazed brain wondered how it got there.

Coolness rushed past my face as we walked over the porch and into the dark, cool shelter of the house. I felt myself be propped up in a chair.

"Boys! We've got a drifter! Get the bath ready would you?"

The female's face swam fuzzily in front of my own.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. We'll get you cleaned up, okay?"

I blinked slowly as my brain processed her words.

"What's your name?"

My name...

"I'm..nn... Ben..."

The words rasped out over a parched tongue. A glass of water was placed against my cracked lips.

"Here, drink this. Slowly though, or else you'll get sick... Well Ben, welcome to my ranch."


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello readers. If you've read my stories before, you'll know that I have the habit of writing them in shifting first-person point of view.**

**This one isn't any different. Except I'm not going to label the POV's. Because that would spoil plot twists. I'm pretty sure you can figure them out and a shift will be indicated by -.-.- Shifts can also occur between chapters, which is why they're short at first.**

**Enjoy**!

**I do not own Trigun**

------

"Mr. Vash! Mr. Vash!"

I looked up to see Milly running toward me, waving a hand over her head.

"Hi Tall Girl," I responded wearily, scratching the back of my head and suppressing a yawn.

"Any luck?" she asked cheerfully.

I shook my head.

"That sand storm erased all signs of him," I sighed. "What about you girls? Find anything?"

She shook her head, brown strand of hair whipping around her face.

"Meryl and I asked everybody in all the places he usually goes to. Nobody's seen him for a couple days."

We fell silent as we walked back to the wooden house we had been staying in for the past year. As we walked through the front door, I heard Meryl on the telephone.

"-so please call us if you see him. Yes. Thank you."

I flopped down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Things had been going so well too.. Or at least I thought they had been...

"Vash?"

I turned my head to the door. Meryl stood there, looking concerned.

"I'm sorry Vash... Nobody's seen him..."

I turned my head back to the ceiling.

"Yeah... Milly said the same thing..."

Meryl walked over and sat down next to me, hesitantly placing a hand on my arm.

"Now what are you going to do, Vash?"

I felt my mouth twist in a crooked smile.

"I have to go track him down again."

Meryl made no comment. She had obviously expected this response. I reached over and rubbed the top of her head.

"Don't worry, Short Girl!" I said cheerfully. "I'll be back!"

She scowled and slapped my hand away. I whimpered, rubbing it with my other hand.

"That hurt!"

"Oh get going, you insufferable man, You're not going to find him just by sitting here."

I grinned and stood up.

"Yes Ma'am, Ms. Insurance Agent Sir."

I actually managed to avoid her punch this time.

-

Half an hour later found me walking out of town, my old black bag over my shoulder and my .45 strapped to my hip. It felt like the old days, when I first went out to find him. As the wind whipped sand past my face, I made a vow to myself.

"Knives, I will find you. And I will protect you. Whether you want me to or not."


	3. Chapter 2

**Enjoy**!

**I do not own Trigun**

------

Tonk snuffled quietly in greeting as I slid into the stable. The twin suns had not yet risen over the horizon, so the desert air was still cool and sweet smelling. As I walked down the stable aisle, Ker honked mournfully at me. I paused to pat his hard nose, then continued.

At the end of the building was the small room that everyone on the ranch called the tack shop. This was something of a misnomer, since the room held tools other than tack as well, but I wasn't going to argue. I shoved the door open with my shoulder and felt around in the dark until my hand found the simple rope halter. I grabbed it and let the door swing shut as I walked back down the corridor.

"Berta," I called softly, leaning against the door into one of the stalls. "Come here, girl."

The large female thomas eyed me irritably, unimpressed by the soft clucking noises I was making purely for her benefit. I kept a smile pasted on my face and hid the halter behind my back. The other hand beckoned to her. Berta eyed me and then my hand. With a sudden squawk, she lunged at me. Teeth snapped together where my fingers had been just moments before.

I scowled darkly, but took a firm hold on the bony plate on her head. Before she knew what I was doing, I slipped the halter over her head and firmly secured it. Berta glared malevolently at me with one beady eye. I glared back at her, opening the stall door.

Tugging and pulling furiously, I dragged Berta out of the stables and into the corral. By this time, the first sun had risen and its twin was just peering over the edge of the horizon. I took a moment to look at the sky and calculate what the weather would be like. Most likely, clear. And hot as usual.

Berta took advantage of my momentary distraction to attempt escape. I was nearly yanked off my feet, but regained my balance in time. With a murderous scowl, I pulled her back into the corral and tied the halter rope to the fence.

"Stay there," I grumbled, and turned back to the stable to get the other thomases. The darkness of the stables closed back around me, rendering my temporarily blind. When I could see again, the first thing that came into my field of vision was the tail end of a thomas. Since this was a rather dangerous end in more ways than one, I stepped swiftly to the side. The next thing that came into my field of vision was Trisha.

The youngest of the three sisters, Trisha had bright coppery hair and bright blue eyes. She had a cheerful disposition and spent most of her time with her thomas, Ker. Which was fine with me, since it meant less work that I had to do.

"Hi Ben!"

She smiled at me, pushing her bangs up out of her face. Ker turned his head around to peer at me.

"Hello, Miss Trisha. I trust you slept well."

"Yup, of course. Hope you did too. Say do you know, if we got that fresh shipment of pure water?"

I thought for a moment.

"I believe so. I assume this means that you will be taking an all-day ride?"

Trisha nodded vigorously, cinching the saddle strap tightly.

"I will tell Ms. Cathrine then," I said, handing her a canteen of water. She flashed a smile at me.

"Thanks, Benny. You're a peach."

My eye twitched at the nickname, but I said nothing. I simply nodded politely to her and continued down the corridor to Tonk. By the time I had managed to put the halter on her and lead her out to the corral, Trisha had already left on her daylong adventure.

I let Tonk free in the corral and then cautiously walked over to Berta. She eyed me angrily, displeased by the fact that I had tied her to the fence, denying her of instant breakfast gratification. I eyed her back, particularly her teeth. We had never got along very well…

I edged toward her and started taking the halter off. She snorted and pawed the ground with one foot. I paused for a moment, then finished removing the halter. Berta pulled her head back and worked her jaw back and forth a few times. She then fixed me with her beady stare and charged.

There was a resounding "THWOK" as her bony head hit the wooden fence. Accustomed to her morning rituals, I had already been vaulting over the fence, one hand firmly clamped to my hat, even as she had begun her charge. With a layer of solid wood between us, I no longer had to fear loosing any fingers. Berta grumbled in disappointment, and then trotted off to steal Tonk's breakfast.

I heard a couple of people clapping, and looked up. The two other men who worked in the thomas stable with me were leaning against the building grinning.

"Tha Berta got a right nasty temper, don't she?" drawled Brandon, the taller of the two.

I shrugged.

"I've seen worse."

"Yah, like her owner," snickered dark-haired Jeb.

"Miss Jo ain't bad tempered," frowned Brandon. "She's just all quiet like."

"She never smiles!" argued Jeb. "Always goin' around like she's got a rattler in her pants."

I left the two to argue about the temperament of Miss Jo and headed back into the stable. Manure waits for no man.

--

Breakfast was always a noisy affair. With a grand total of 14 middle-aged men and three women, noise was to be expected. Since Trisha had already left, the decibel level had dropped slightly, but the masculine laughter was still enough to render one deaf after a certain amount of time.

In the five months I had been living on the ranch, I had become familiar with the hierarchy of the group. Ms. Cathrine was at the top; I was at the bottom. In-between were the various hired hands and foremen who made the ranch run smoothly.

The Ventura sisters were the triple figureheads of the ranch. Ms. Cathrine was the eldest and took care of the actual running of the ranch. At 5'4, she was small but formidable. Her no-nonsense attitude was what kept the ranch running smoothly. Like Trisha, she had coppery red hair and bright blue eyes. While Trisha was still a child however, at the age of 29 Ms. Cathrine was the matriarch and ruled with an iron fist.

Miss Trisha was the baby of the threesome, just 18 years old. She was perfectly happy to leave the ranch in the hands of her two older sisters, instead spending her time exploring the surrounding lands on the back of a thomas. Her carefree attitude made even the most crusty hired hands smile.

Then there was Miss Jo, the middle sister, 24 years old. Tall and dark, she seemingly floated around the ranch like a ghost, giving help when it was needed, but generally staying out of the way. She had never been seen to smile and unlike her sisters, her hair was raven black and her eyes a pale silvery blue. Her one love seemed to be taking care of that cranky old thomas, Berta.

The men who worked here were a good enough bunch. Still, I had never been fond of being with people, so I kept mainly to myself, working and caring for the thomases. It was hard work, but I found I enjoyed it and my life here.

"Ben."

The quiet voice made me pause. Breakfast was over and all the men were heading out to resume working. I had just dropped my hat onto my head and was about to step out into the bright sunlight. Looking over my shoulder I saw Miss Jo.

"Ma'am," I replied respectfully, pulling my hat back off and running a hand quickly through my hair. Miss Jo looked at me unblinkingly through one pale eye, the other hidden by her bangs.

"I am going to ride Berta later. If you could check her tack, I would appreciate it."

I nodded.

"Yes Ma'am. When should I have it ready by?"

"And hour or so will do fine. Thank you."

Without another word, she drifted down the hall and out of sight.

-.-.-

Six months.

It had been almost six months since my brother disappeared and I still hadn't found a single trace of him.

I leaned against the bar, staring dejectedly into the shot of amber whiskey. It had been easier tracking him the first time, even if dead bodies weren't the most pleasant bread-crumbs to follow. But this time there was nothing. No mysterious deaths, no reports of a pale blond-haired man wandering the desert. Knives might as well have disappeared off the face of the planet.


	4. Chapter 3

**Enjoy**!

**I do not own Trigun**

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--

"Are you sure that no one of that description has moved here or passed through within the last six months, Sheriff?"

I was currently in the sheriff's office in New Oregon, asking the same question I had asked in every other sheriff's office, mayor's office, and hospital that I had visited since starting out.

The sheriff eyed my red coat and spikey blond hair with interest.

"Sure I'm sure. I know every face in this town and the only guy who possibly matches your description has lived here his entire life. Heck I used to bounce him on my knee when he was just a little tyke."

I drooped dejectedly against the desk.

"Thank you Sheriff sir," I groaned.

"Who are you looking for anyway, sonny?"

"My brother," I sighed. "I've been looking everywhere for him, but the only clue I had just died with what you said."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What's his name? Maybe he's on our files." The man's chest swelled proudly. "Our files have information on just about everyone within a 50 ile radius. All the comings and goings of the towns around here. We have a good intelligence group, that we do. Bring me all sorts of information and I file it away here."

I smiled nervously.

"Well, uh... His name is Knives Millions, but I don't think he'd be going by that if he wants to be left alone. It kind of stands out you know."

The sheriff raised an eyebrow.

"That it does. What did your parents name you? Forks Googleplex?"

I laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. The sheriff stood up and pulled a ring of keys out of the desk.

"Nah… I asked Rem why she named my brother Knives, but she would start laughing everytime, so I never got an answer out of her. I think he added "Millions" himself later, so that he'd have a last name or something."

The sheriff chuckled.

"You got a strange family, kiddo."

"Strange doesn't even begin to describe it," I muttered to myself.

The sheriff lead me down a hall and opened the door into a large musty-smelling room. Rows of file cabinets lined the walls. I eyed the steel boxes wearily.

"Okay Sonny, this is how it works. Each file cabinet is a town. First you have all the occupants, arranged by name. Some of the files have pictures, some of them don't. They give all the usual bios and notes on when they moved to the town and so forth. Then after the occupants are lists of all the people who passed through or moved to the town and the date they passed through or moved in. If my people didn't catch their name, there's a description of the person. Help yourself, but keep everything in order, ya hear?"

I nodded vigorously.

"Thank you so much, Sheriff sir!"

He waved a hand, and walked back to the front room. I watched him go, then eyed the first file cabinet. Might as well get started.


	5. Chapter 4

**I'm really inconsistent with chapter length, aren't I? eheehee...**

**Enjoy**!

**I do not own Trigun**

------

"MANX!"

I winced slightly as the shrill voice of Ms. Cathrine rang out across the compound. The problem with Ms. Cathrine was whenever she shouted, she sounded angry. Ninety percent of the time she wasn't, but you still wondered what you had done wrong when she shouted your name.

I grabbed my hat and pulled the brim down firmly before walking outside to see what the matter was.

"Manx, where are Jo and Trisha?" she demanded.

I cocked my head. It wasn't like her to be forgetful.

"Out riding, Ma'am," I reminded her. "I believe I told you of Miss Trisha's plans this morning and you saw Miss Jo leave."

Ms. Cathrine stared at me with haunted eyes.

"They aren't back yet?"

I shook my head.

"No Ma'am."

"ARGGGGGG!"

I took an involuntary step back at her sudden outburst.

"Ma'am?"

"Do you know who is going to be here in just over an hour? DO YOU?"

"No Ma'am."

"Kinnes Milner, that's who!"

"…Ma'am?"

"Oh stop 'ma'am'ing me, Manx! He's betrothed to Jo and she has to be clean and proper when he gets here! It would be nice if Trisha was here too, but I suppose we can't ask for everything."

I looked at her quietly. She growled.

"WELL?! GO GET JO, MANX!"

"Ma'am, not to argue, but I have two questions…"

"Make them quick."

"First, why are you picking me? This duty is usually given to Brandon or Old Charlie."

"They're busy. Second question."

"Do you have any idea where she might be? I'm not familiar with Miss Jo's riding patterns."

"No. Go ask Old Charlie. And get her back here within the hour."

"… Yes Ma'am."

"And I told you to stop 'ma'am'ing me."

"Yes… Sir?"

"…Just go get her."

I hate riding thomases. Give me a choice between a thomas and walking, I'll take walking any day, Needless to say, I wasn't entirely pleased to be perched on top of a large male thomas called Happy. Demonic Hellbeast from the Ninth Circle would have fit him better in my opinion.

"Well good luck there Ben."

I peered down at the old coot everyone called Old Charlie. He was a rather an alarming distance from me. Then again, so was the ground. I shifted slightly in the saddle and tightened my grip on the reigns.

"You sure that's where she'll be?"

Old Charlie smiled a smile that was short a few teeth.

"Sure as I'm standin' here. Miss Josey won't go anywhere's else. That's where she always goes when avoidin' a matchmakin'."

I grimaced.

"I just hope she doesn't decide to change her pattern today. Thanks, Old Charlie."

I kicked Happy in the ribs. He squawked at me and took off in a cloud of dust. Behind me, I could hear Old Charlie's parting call.

"Good luck, Beeeeeeeeeeehn!"

--

Twenty minutes of brisk trotting brought a stone chimney into view. I stopped Happy for a moment and peered at it. According to Old Charlie, that's where Miss Jo went to hide. I sighed and nudged Happy to get going. He turned his head around, stared at me, and sat down.

"Blasted animal!" I grumbled, struggling to stay in the saddle. "Nudging you does not mean sit down! It means move forward!"

Happy stuck his tongue out at me with a noise similar to 'blaaaaaaaaaat.' I sighed in utter exasperation.

"You are a worthless beast and I hope you get run over by a sand steamer," I informed him sternly. Happy took this in stride. I continued in my struggle to make him behave.

"Get up! UPWARD! The opposite of you current position! Upright and moving forward! That's right! Yes! Good boy! Movement is good! ACK! NO! WRONG WAY! STOP THAT RIGHT THIS INSTANT! NO, DON'T ROLL OVER! NO!!!!"

--

Did I mention I hate riding thomases?

Happy and I had finally reached the stone chimney. After nearly being flattened by a 500 pound creature, my mood was somewhat stormy.

"MISS JO, YOU BETTER BE HERE AFTER EVERYTHING THIS BLASTED BEAST MADE ME GO THROUGH." I hollered at the formation.

Miss Jo's head popped over a ledge about ten feet up.

"Hullo Ben."

I glared at her.

"Happy giving you troubles?"

"What do you think?" I snapped. "Come down. Your sister is having kittens because you're not at the ranch ready to meet that guy who's name sounds like a beer."

Miss Jo made a face and started climbing down.

"Happy always had a mischievous streak," was all she said when she got to solid ground.

"This creature," I informed her," was born in the fiery inferno and placed on this planet for the sole purpose of making my life miserable."

Miss Jo shrugged and let out an ear-piercing whistle. A few moments later, Berta came trotting out from around the formation. Miss Jo swung easily into the saddle and turned to face me.

"Race you home."

"That is hardly fair. Happy will do nothing more than sit down, attempt to flatten me, and by the time I get him going, you will be at the ranch already."

Something flickered across Miss Jo's face that looked suspiciously like amusement. I looked at her grumpily. She shrugged again and nudged Berta into a trot.

"See you at the ranch then."

I nudged Happy, ready to jump off the saddle if he decided that was his cue to take a dust bath. Instead, he snorted and trotted after Berta briskly.

"Sure, now you do what I tell you," I sighed. "You're just trying to look good for the ladies, aren't you?"

Happy honked gleefully.

"I thought so."

--

After delivering Miss Jo to her sister, I was ordered to take care of the two thomases, make myself look presentable and be on the porch in twenty minutes. I just bowed my head and went to do as I was told. When I got to the stables Jeb sidled up to me, grinning widely.

"What Jeb…" I asked warily.

"I'll take care of 'em for ya."

"…. Why."

"Cause you gotta go get pretty dontcha?"

"Maybe… What's it to you."

Jeb cackled.

"Just glad it ain't me!"

"Your compassion is inspiring. Tell me, my smelly friend, why are you glad that I have to clean up and you don't? You could certainly use a good dunking in the trough."

"Why ain't you Mr. Hoity-toity!'

"Jeb," My tone was warning. "I just spent almost an hour on a thomas. I hate riding thomases. This little event has not improved my mood. So I suggest you get to the point."

Jeb spat to the side before answering.

"Okay, keep yer panties on! I'm glad that it's you and not me, 'cause Mr. Milner scares the beejus outta me. All tall and pale with eyes that just freeze ya right up! He's mighty edjucatated too, which is probably why Ms. Cathrine wants you there. Seein' as you talk so nice and all."

I studied him for a moment.

"I see."

"So I'll take care of Happy and Berta for ya. Jus so you can go and get all perty!"

"Well thank you I suppose. And thank you for the warning."

"Sure go'vner."

I rolled my eyes at his teasing tone and plodded off to the bunkhouse to change out of my work clothes and wash my face and hands.

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in the shade of the porch, wearing a clean blue shirt and black jacket, my hat flopped easily over my eyes. Miss Trisha, who had arrived five minutes before Miss Jo and me, was sitting on the porch rail, swinging her legs back and forth. She was wearing a skirt for once and wasn't completely pleased about it.

"Cat made me wear it. She said we have to give Mr. Milner a good impression so that he'll marry Josey."

I propped my hat up slightly with a finger and peered at her from under the brim.

"You don't sound pleased about it, Miss Trisha."

Miss Trisha sighed and look forlorn.

"I want Josey to marry, Benny, I really do. But Mr. Milner is so _cold._ He'll make her miserable!"

I let my hat drop back down over my eyes.

"If he's so cold, why does Miss Jo need to marry him?"

Miss Trisha shrugged.

"It has to do with land and all that. I'm not entirely sure, but I think he threatened to take over all the land. Joseys supposed to be like a peace offering or something. Cause I'm too young to marry and Cat needs to stay here to run the ranch."

"Oh."

We were silent for a few minutes, each with our own thoughts.

"Benny?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you sit by me at dinner? I'll be bored otherwise. I have to be there, but everyone will be talking about stuff I'm not interested in."

I smiled slightly.

"Of course, Miss Trisha. Whatever you wish."

"Goody."

She took a deep breath, an indicator that she was probably going to start asking me questions, one of her favorite hobbies. Luckily for me, she was cut off by Ms. Cathrine sweeping out onto the porch, dressed in a skirt and blouse.

"Manx, you're ready, good. Now remember, you're representing all the boys so please give a good impression."

I stood and pushed my hat back.

"Yes Ma'am, I will."

"Good, thank you."

"Heeeere they come," announced Miss Trisha gloomily. I looked where she was pointing and saw a dust cloud rising down the road. Moments later the compound was filled with the sounds of pounding hooves, snorting thomases, and talking men.

Kinnes Milner and his posse had arrived.


	6. Chapter 5

**before we get going, I have major thanking to do**

**pottachu, i can not thank you enough for all your reviews and support you've given me, both for 'Ben' and 'Chibi Knivesu'. I've read some of your stories, you're a great writer. That makes me even happier to see your reviews. That someone as good as you enjoys and even looks forward to my writing makes me very happy and pushes me to get off my rear and start writing. **

**I'm also glad you like the shifting point-of-view. Some people hate it, but I find it's the easiest for me to write in, so I'm glad that I'm not the only one who likes it. I hope you'll keep reading my stories and they will continue to make you smile, and maybe even wonder. -bowbow- i cannot thank you enough. Please enjoy this next chapter.**

**I do not own Trigun**

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My eyes were tired.

Dust filled my now drooping hair.

My back was sore.

My coat had been abandoned on a chair three hours ago.

'_Knives, when I find you, you're so paying for this.'_

I tiredly opened another drawer and pulled out a file at random.

'_Kinnes Milner… Heehee, he sounds like a beer…Hey wait a minute… K.M…."_

-.-.-

I decided I didn't like Milner. He swung easily off his thomas and strode across the dirt with the attitude of a man who thought he owned the world. A long black overcoat flapped behind him, sunglasses obscured his eyes and pale blond hair was ruffled by the slight breeze. His mouth was twisted in a scowl. I felt my face mirror his, and stepped up right behind Miss Trisha. This man reeked of snake.

"Cathrine," he said shortly, tapping his riding crop on one leg.

Ms. Cathrine stepped forward.

"A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Milner. You of course know, Trisha."

Miss Trisha dropped a quick curtsy. Milner ignored her.

"And this is Ben Manx. He joined our crew not so very long ago. Manx, this is Mr. Kinnes Milner."

"Sir," I said politely, touching the rim of my hat respectfully.

Milner grunted at me and turned back to Ms. Cathrine.

"And where is little Josephine?"

I frowned slightly.

"She's waiting inside."

"With breathless anticipation no doubt," smirked Milner.

More like abject nausea. I had just caught a glimpse of Miss Jo through the window. I made a mental note to hide anything that could be used as a weapon.

Milner swept imperiously up the steps and across the porch, letting himself into the house. Ms. Cathrine sighed and followed him. Miss Trisha smiled weakly at me.

"So that's going to be my brother-in-law. What do you think?"

I shrugged and made a non-committal grunt.

"Oh come on Benny. I want to hear your opinion."

"… He's a pompous little trouser snake with a god complex."

This sent Miss Trisha into a fit of giggles. I ushered her into the house, following after a quick look back at Milner's men. None of them would have looked out of place in the town's seedier saloons. I sighed and let the door shut behind me.

--

The dinner table was buzzing with conversation and forced laughter. Milner was arguing some point with Ms. Cathrine. Miss Jo, sitting to his right, was currently staring at the butter knife with extreme interest. I silently reached across the table and pulled the butter plate and its contents toward myself. Miss Jo's eyes flickered from the butter knife to me. I shook my head slightly, suppressing a smile.

"_Please?" _she mouthed.

I shook my head again. She stuck her bottom lip out slightly and started staring at her water glass. It was made of heavy crystal. I rolled my eyes and gave her a warning look. She ignored me.

To my left, Miss Trisha stifled a yawn behind her napkin. Looking straight ahead, I tapped her foot with mine. She glanced at me. I nodded at Milner. From where we were sitting, he was positioned perfectly so that the eagle in the painting behind him looked ready to scalp him. Miss Trisha squeaked and quickly reached for her drink in an attempt to drown the noise.

"Manx."

I looked innocently at Milner.

"Yes sir?"

Milner smirked at me, fingers poised in an elegant manner as if stroking his chin, completely unaware that the debonair look was ruined by the great bird of prey hovering over his head.

"So Cathrine says you've been with the ranch for five months now."

I nodded.

"That is correct."

"What did you do before that sandstorm tossed you here?"

His tone was challenging, his smile not reaching his cold eyes.

"This and that," I said evasively.

"Care to explain a little?"

I felt Miss Trisha's eyes on me. This was one of her favorite questions for me and one she had yet to get an answer to. I fixed my smile into place.

"I helped clean up civilization a little," I said calmly.

"Ah!" Milner stretched back in his chair. "I've done a bit of that myself. It can get addicting can't it?"

"Indeed. Even now, I still enjoy removing any scum that crosses my path," I said calmly.

Milner raised an eyebrow. I looked at him innocently.

"Hmm. Indeed. So are you a good gunman?"

I shrugged.

"Good enough, I suppose."

Milner's eyes shone with a somewhat demonic gleam.

"I'm a fair shot myself. Maybe we should have a little contest sometime, you and me."

"I'd enjoy that, sir."

"Excellent. We must do it then."

I smiled politely and nodded, suppressing a grin. By this time, Milner and shifted enough in his seat that it looked as if his head had just sprouted the most marvelous pair of wings. I muffled my laughter in my napkin as beside me, Miss Trisha kept making peculiar squeaking noises.

After dinner, the party moved out onto the porch, The suns had set and the evening air was cool. I leaned against a porch support, absently running my fingers against my beard as I half listened to the rumble of conversation.

"You're insane."

I glanced to the side.

"Good evening Miss Jo."

"He'll kill you."

"Who will kill me when?"

"Milner will kill you in that little contest. He's the best marksman in this area."

I shrugged.

"I'll manage, Miss Jo."

"No you won't, he'll tear you to pieces. I've seen him shoot, he's the best. You carry that gun in your holster, but no one but you knows what it even looks like."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a problem?"

"My point is that you've never drawn it. You're going to get killed."

"Miss Jo, your concern would be touching if it weren't completely unfounded. I am perfectly capable of shooting a gun."

"I'm not questioning if you're capable. I'm questioning if you're capable enough."

I sighed and leaned my head back against the wood.

"Well we'll find out at the contest if I'm capable enough."

Miss Jo frowned deeply at me. I frowned back.

"Please Miss Jo, stop fussing. I'll be fine."

She gave me a long stare. Finally she shrugged, a stormy look on her face.

"I hope you know what you're doing. If you die, Trissy will never get over it."

I blinked slowly.

"Miss Trisha has a crush. If I disappeared tomorrow, I'm sure she would find someone else eventually."

Miss Jo's face kept its stormy cast.

"You make it sound as if you're a lady's man, Manx."

"By no means," I replied calmly. "I simply have had many admirers like Miss Trisha. Crushes, nothing more."

Miss Jo remained silent, staring at me. I sighed.

"Miss Jo, I have no intention of disappearing or dying. I am happy here. For the first time in a long while, I like the people around me. I'm not going anywhere unless I'm told I'm not longer needed."

She continued to stare at me. I stared back. Finally she nodded.

"Fine. I suppose you know what you're doing."

Without another word she walked away, back to the group. I watched her go, then went back to my thoughts.

"Soldier or sheriff? Or deputy?"

I turned my head, my thoughts scattered once again. Miss Trisha's big blue eyes shone up at me.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Before you came here! Which were you?"

"Miss Trisha," I replied with amusement. "Did you ever consider I said that to make that trouser snake leave me alone?"

She made a pouty look.

"Aw, come one. You had to be something! And any one of those occupations would suit you! I mean, I can totally imagine you beating a pack of outlaws! And I bet you're an amazing gunman!"

I smiled softly.

"Your admiration is flattering, Miss Trisha."

"So which one was it? Are you going to tell me?"

My smile widened as I shook my head. She made another pouty face and then vaulted herself up to sit on the railing next to where I was standing. Folding my arms, I leaned my head against the post and closed my eyes. We were silent for a while.

Suddenly I felt something tickling my jaw. I opened my eyes and looked down. Miss Trisha was poking my beard. I raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled and continued poking.

"Miss Trisha, what are you doing?"

"I was just wondering what you would look like without your beard. Have you always had it?"

"Yes," I said seriously. "I was the envy of all the other five-year olds."

She giggled.

"Silly! You know what I meant!"

I smiled slightly and pulled her hand away from my face.

"No. Most of my life has been spent beardless."

"How come you grew it?"

"Why the sudden interest in my beard, missy? I grew it to protect my face from the sun."

"Do you think you'll ever shave it?"

"Maybe."

"I'd like to see that."

I smiled slightly.

"I'll let you watch if I shave it off," I said teasingly. She giggled again as I ruffled her hair.

"Trisha!"

She made a face and slid off the railing. With a quick wave, she trotted back to the group. I sighed, thinking longingly of my bed. It had been a long day, and the end was still nowhere in sight.


	7. Chapter 6

**want to know what Ben looks like?**

**http// rowanoak. deviantart. com /art /Ben-Manx -7699 5671**

**just use that address without the spaces.**

**Enjoy :3**

**I do not own Trigun**

------

I leaned against the porch beam by the steps, watching as Kinnes Milner and his posse mounted up. Quite frankly, I was glad to see them go, but decided shouting "Hallelujah" and tossing my hat up in the air would be a little over the top. Milner bid farewell to Miss Jo in a rather smug manner, not unlike a predator who is sure of his prey. I scowled darkly.

His eyes travelled over our little group and landed on me.

"So Manx," he said coldly. "Are you still ready for that contest?"

"Whenever you are," I replied calmly.

"Good," A smirk flickered across his face. "How about in two days by that cliff?"

He pointed to a cliff illuminated in the moonlight, about 2 iles away. I glanced at it and shrugged.

"Fine with me."

Milner looked at me, amused.

"Do you know what you're getting into, Manx?"

"Yup," I replied calmly. His mouth widened into a self-confident smirk.

"You, sir, are crazy."

I looked at him for a moment, before breaking into a wide smile.

"Yup!"

Milner looked at me blankly for a few moments, apparently perturbed by the fact that I wasn't the least bit intimidated by him. A scowl suddenly etched across his face. With a yell, he urged his thomas forward. His posse followed suit and within a few moments the compound was empty except for swirling dust. I yawned and scratched my cheek.

The three sisters all turned and looked at me.

"...What?" I blinked.

"You're gonna die," they chorused.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence..." I grumbled, shoving my hands in my pockets.

They stared at me, wide-eyed. I stared back for a few moments, then frowned.

"Did any of you consider that I might just be better than him?"

Three heads shook no. I sighed, irritated.

"Well if I am no longer needed, I am going to bed now," I said flatly. "Ms. Cathrine, Miss Jo, Miss Trisha."

I touched my hat to each of them and strode across the compound, aware of their stares drilling into the back of my head.

-.-.-

"HALLELUJAH!"

A good portion of the sheriff's filing was thrown into the air in my exultation.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I FOUND YOU!"

The sheriff cautiously poked his head through the door.

"Sonny, you feeling all right?"

"NEVER BETTER!" I shouted gleefully, scooping the elderly man in a bear hug and spinning him around the room. "I FOUND HIM, I FOUND HIM!"

"Sonny! PUT ME DOWN!"

I placed him on the floor and snatched a piece of paper off the floor.

"See that?! That's him! I'm positive!"

The sheriff peered seriously at the piece of paper I was stabbing with my finger.

"…If you say so, sonny…"

I crowed triumphantly, pulling on my coat.

"Geranium's quite a ways away…"

"Doesn't matter!" I said cheerfully. "According to that sheet, he's been there for quite a while! He's not going anywhere! With a little luck, I can get there in a day!"

"If you say so…"

I pumped the sheriff's hand up and down vigorously.

"Thank you so much sir! Without your help and your wonderful files, I would have never found him! I cannot thank you enough!"

After an extra pump, I shot gleefully out the door and ran for the bus station. The sheriff stood there looking slightly shell-shocked.

"Good luck, sonny…. WAIT A MINUTE! GET BACK HERE AND CLEAN UP THESE FILES!!"

-.-.-

"ACHOO!"

I wrinkled my nose as dust threatened to make me sneeze again. I was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor of the stables mending a bridle. Dust from the hay and dirt kept rising to tickle my nose. I examined the bridle with a critical eye, trying to decide the best way to mend a certain spot.

Footsteps clumped down the hall and stopped right behind me.

"Hello, Miss Trisha," I said, squinting at the stitching. "You're standing in my light."

She flopped down next to me with a heaving sigh and started playing with the spool of waxed thread I was using. Her eyebrows were knitted together in a fierce frown.

"You seem perturbed," I remarked, licking my thumb and running it over the end of a piece of thread. "You aren't going to ride Ker today?"

She shook her head, watching as I threaded a needle with the thread. With a heaving sigh, she leaned against me, bottom lip puckered in a pout. I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. We were both silent for a good number of minutes.

"…Benny?"

Startled, I stabbed my finger with the needle.

"Ow, shi-… …Yes?"

"… Do you like me?"

"Yes, Miss Trisha. I like you very much."

"How much?"

I didn't like the way this conversation was going.

"Very much."

She fell silent again. I eyed the top of her head warily, then returned to the bridle. Quite suddenly, delicate arms wrapped around my waist and gave me quick, squeezing hug. I looked down at Miss Trisha in thinly masked alarm. She sighed, gave my ribs another squeeze, then let go and stood up.

"Don't die, okay?"

I watched, perturbed as she walked out of the stable.

"The lack of faith these people have in me…" I grumbled, turning back to the bridle and accidentally stabbing my finger again.

--

After fixing the bridle, I decided I was overdue for a drink of water. When I stepped out of the stable, I saw an unfamiliar thomas tied to the hitching post. A moment of peering in the direction of the house revealed Kinnes Milner sitting on the porch, talking to Miss Jo. Even from where I was, I could tell how unhappy she was. Something curled tightly in my stomach and heat rose in my chest at the sight.

I stomped across the compound and up the steps of the porch, determined not to see them.

"Manx."

Well, that plan just went down the tubes.

I turned and forced myself to smile at Milner. It was rather thin to say the least.

"Sir."

Milner ignored my lack of enthusiasm and smirked at me. Didn't this man ever smile normally?

"I just came to see my bride to be-" His arms slinked around Miss Jo's waist while she turned decidedly pale. The hot feeling in my chest increased. "But catching you is a bonus to say the least. We agreed on the contest, the place, and the day, but we need the time, now don't we."

"It would probably help," I said flatly, not in the mood to be polite. "Noon?"

"That's so cliched," said Milner disdainfully.

I fixed him with a cold stare.

"It's also fair. Noon is the only time one of us won't be handicapped with the sun in our eyes. I'm assuming, of course, that you want this to be fair."

Milner made a weird sputtering noise. I smiled crookedly.

"Of course you did. Noon tomorrow then. Miss Jo, if I could talk to you for a moment?"

Miss Jo quickly extracted herself from Milner's grip and followed me inside. I took my time choosing a glass and filling it with tap water. Miss Jo waited patiently, obviously in no hurry.

"You all right?" I finally asked.

She seemed slightly startled and gave me a searching look.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be."

I shrugged and took a long sip of water.

"You just don't seem happy with the arrangement is all."

I knew I certainly wasn't happy about it. That man was as caring as a rock and just as hard-hearted.

Miss Jo shrugged tiredly.

"No, I'm not happy about it," she said quietly. "But I have no choice."

"Why not?" I asked, taking another sip. "You could marry anyone you wanted."

Miss Jo's mouth suddenly twisted in a pained smile. It was the first time I had ever seen anything like it on her face and my stomach clenched to see it. She looked so unhappy. More than she would have if she had started crying. I felt the sudden urge to hug her, but quickly suppressed it. Hired hands didn't hug heiresses. And even if they did, I hadn't shown affection to anyone in a long time. I didn't think I could start now.

"No, I can't Ben," she said quietly. "This has to be done, and I have to be the one to do it. I'll manage, don't worry."

My mouth opened and closed a couple of times before I heaved a deep sigh and nodded.

"All right. Just.. talk to me if you need… if you want to…"

I drained the glass and placed it in the sink before striding out the door, back onto the porch.

"Manx."

I felt my teeth grind together. Not again. This man was trying my patience. I turned on my heel and faced him squarely, not even bothering to smile.

"What Milner."

He stood slowly and walked up to me until we were just three feet apart.

"I suggest you keep your nose out of this ranch's business. You're nothing but a drifter. You don't belong here."

I gazed coldly into his eyes, my brain vaguely noting that he was about three inches shorter than I was.

"I am here to help and protect the Ventura sis-"

"KNIVES!"

Both our heads snapped to the edge of the porch. The first thing we saw was the red coat. The man wearing it took a step towards us hands held out in a peaceful or apologetic gesture.

"Knives, I found you!"


	8. Chapter 7

**Who was Vash talking about what he said Knives? Or is he completely mistaken? Does Ben like Jo? What did I have for breakfast today? All this and more is answered in the next chapter!**

**Maybe .w. if I feel like it.**

**Enjoy **

**I do not own Trigun**

------

"_KNIVES!"_

_Both our heads snapped to the edge of the porch. The first thing we saw was the red coat. The man wearing it took a step towards us hands held out in a peaceful or apologetic gesture._

"_Knives, I found you!"_

He launched himself across the porch, arms out in a hug. Milner dodged to one side. I barely had time to see his expression of confusion before I was enveloped in a bone-cracking hug.

"Hhhk! Va-ash! I can't breathe!" I gasped, attempting to squirm out of my brother's grip. He held on tighter, knocking my hat on the floor in the process.

"I've looked everywhere for you! What were you thinking leaving like that? I was worried! How am I supposed to protect you if you run off without saying anything?"

"Who's the older brother here?" I demanded, finally breaking free of his grip and retrieving my hat.

"You, but Knives-"

"Kn-nives?"

I looked over. In the 'joy' of reunion, I had forgotten about Milner. He was staring at the two of us with a strange expression, half amused, half horrified.

"Childhood nickname," I said flatly, elbowing Vash in the ribs. "If you'll excuse me, sir, my brother and I have some things to discuss."

Without waiting for an answer, I turned on my heel, grabbed Vash by the coat collar, and dragged him to the bunks.

"How come you have a beard, Knives?" asked Vash as he stumbled after me. I shoved him roughly into the bunkhouse and slammed the door behind me.

"What the H-E-double L are you doing here, Vash," I snarled.

Vash cocked his head.

"You didn't honestly expect that I wouldn't come looking for you?" he asked seriously.

"Of course I expected it, but I didn't want you to find me," I snapped. "Sit."

He looked as if he was about to resist, but sat down on my bed after seeing the look on my face. I paced back and forth in front of him.

"So I suppose you're going to drag me home now," I said venomously. " And make me sit all day in the same house, being babysat by those females, day after day."

"You were dangerous," Vash said quietly. "You seemed to accept everything after a while, but I couldn't be sure if you had really changed or not."

I shot him a glare and continued pacing.

"Knives…"

"No," I said, stopping and turning to him. "Ben. Knives doesn't exist here."

I glared at him again and walked to the window.

"… Why did you run?"

I snorted.

"Because I was a prisoner. I hated you and everything around me."

"You could have talked to me…"

"And said what, Vash?!" I yelled, whirling around to face him. "I knew you didn't trust me! If I had told you I wanted freedom would you really have given it to me? No, you wouldn't have! Because you're not stupid, despite all appearances."

I stomped over and shoved my face in his.

"I am not going back," I growled, grinding out each syllable. "You try to make me and I will disappear again. And this time I'll make sure you don't find me."

Vash winced slightly and pulled his face back.

"Okay okay!" He waved his hands in front of him with a nervous smile. "I get the picture!"

I glared at him and stalked back to the window.

"Uhh.. Kni-.. Bro. I'm going to stick around for a while though."

"Why?"

Vash laughed nervously. I continued to glare.

"So! Uh.. what have you been up to?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Avoiding you."

"Uh yeah, I kinda meant other than that..."

I folded my arms across my chest.

"Taking orders, dealing with thomases, and shovelling manure."

"... And you want to stay? Gah! I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

Vash flopped back on my bed, beaned by my hat, just as someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," I called, trying to decide the best way to smother Vash in a pillow.

"Benny?"

Miss Trisha peered cautiously around the doorjamb. I heard Vash snort in laughter.

"Yes Miss Trisha?" I pasted a smile on my face and walked towards her, kicking Vash in the shin as I went by. Ignoring his whimpers, I stood in front of Miss Trisha.

"What can I do for you?"

She looked between me and Vash.

"I just wanted to make sure everything's okay... You looked mad when that man showed up..."

I glanced over my shoulder at Vash. He was peering interestedly at Miss Trisha. I gave him a warning look and turned back to her.

"Don't worry, everything's just fine. This is my brother, Vash. Vash, this is Miss Trisha Ventura, one of the owners of this ranch."

She was eyeing him with equal interest.

"He's wearing your hat..."

"Yeah, well I just threw it at him."

"Oh... Is he staying for dinner?"

I looked between Vash and Miss Trisha. They were both looking at me, waiting for my say so.

"Uh.. I suppose... If Ms. Cathrine doesn't object... I can't exactly kick him out on his ear..."

Vash launched himself gleefully at me.

"Thanks Bro!"

"Get off me Vash, you're heavy."

Miss Trisha giggled.

"I'll go ask Cat if he can stay."

She bounced off as I pried Vash away from me.

"Don't be mad at me Knives..."

I raised an eyebrow, straightening my jacket.

"I think I have every right to be mad at you."

"Yes I know.. but..." Vash sat down and looked at his hands, playing with my hat. "I don't want us to be enemies, Knives.."

"Ben."

"Brother. I'm sorry, I know the year with me and the girls was hard for you... But I didn't know what else to do..."

I retrieved my hat from his grip and punched it back into shape. Vash remained silent, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't, he sighed and looked at his hands.

"I wish you would believe me..."

I plopped my hat onto my head and snapped the brim straight.

"Come on, Bro," I said, punching his arm lightly. "Lets go introduce you to the rest of the guys."

Vash looked up at me, eyes shining hopefully. I sighed and smiled slightly. Reaching out a hand, I ruffled his spikey mass of hair before striding casually to the door.


	9. Chapter 8

**Enjoy **

**I do not own Trigun**

------

--

As usual, Vash was quite popular with the entire ranch. All of the hired hands liked him immediately and took no time in engaging him in a drinking contest. Both Ms. Cathrine and Miss Trisha were quite taken with him, though Miss Trisha was more blatantly obvious about it. Secretly, I was quite relieved and hoped her crush on me would completely shift to a crush on Vash. Miss Jo didn't seem to care that he was there one way or another.

Vash still was unable to make himself call me Ben, but since I had given him dire warnings about calling me Knives even accidentally in front of the others, he just called me Bro. Which was fine with me.

After dinner, I went out to the stables to finish the chores I hadn't got done when Vash had arrived. Happy made a pleased grumbling sound when he saw me approaching with the grooming supplies. I have never met a thomas that enjoyed being groomed more than Happy did.

I went to work, running the brush over Happy's broad, furry sides. I could hear laugher and shouts filtering down from the house and the occasional pleased grunt from Happy when I hit an itchy spot. I worked mechanically, lost in my own thoughts. It wasn't until I started cleaning the bone plate covering Happy's head that I realized I wasn't alone.

Miss Jo was in Bertha's stall leaning her head against the thomas's side. I stopped what I was doing for a moment to make sure she was all right. When I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, I mentally shrugged and went back to work. Taking a soft cloth, I began carefully cleaning around Happy's eyes, but listening intently for any indication that something was wrong elsewhere in the stable.

"Do you want to go for a ride?"

I peered around Happy's head, hoof-pick in hand. Miss Jo was standing in front of the stall, holding Bertha's reigns. I considered this for a few moments. Stay off a thomas and be alone, or ride a thomas and maybe get to the bottom of the whole Milner deal. It was a tough call.

"Sure," I finally shrugged, dropping the hoof-pick in a leather tool bag. "Just give me a minute to saddle up."

Miss Jo nodded and led Berta outside to wait. While I saddled Happy, I gave him a stern lecture of what he was not to do. This included making "blat" noises, sitting down, rolling over, and being generally disobedient. If he did what I told him to do exactly when I told him to do it, we'd get along just fine. Happy fixed me with a baleful stare and tried to step on my foot.

I scowled darkly at him and tugged him out of the stable and into the compound. Miss Jo was waiting for me, already mounted, her black ponytail bouncing as Berta shifted impatiently. I quickly mounted Happy and settled comfortably into the saddle. When she saw I was ready, Miss Jo wheeled Berta around and galloped off into the desert night. After a moments nudging, Happy and I followed.

We rode for quite a while in a comfortable silence, alternating between galloping and trotting. Miss Jo didn't seem to want to talk, and I was happy just to feel the cool wind hitting my face. It felt cleansing somehow.

Finally we slowed the thomases to a walk. Respectfully, I made sure that I was slightly behind Miss Jo, just close enough to be within earshot without raising ones voice.

"So," said Miss Jo after a while. "You didn't seem really happy to see your brother this afternoon."

"Well I certainly wasn't expecting to see him," I said flatly. "And there has been some difficulties between the two of us in the past. I suppose, overall, I am glad to see him in a way," I added grudgingly.

Miss Jo dropped back next to me.

"You two certainly look like brothers, even if your personalities are completely different," she said thoughtfully. I shrugged.

"We're twins, but our philosophies on life differ."

Miss Jo looked at me carefully.

"May I ask you a personal question, Ben?"

I shifted uneasily in the saddle, knowing what she was going to ask.

"It depends, Ma'am," I replied slowly.

"What sort of difficulties? It's difficult to imagine Vash arguing with anyone."

"You haven't seen him defend donuts," I replied, suppressing a smile. We were quiet for a moment as I thought. Finally, I sighed.

"Our views on other people were too different. We couldn't agree and for a long time, it created distance between us."

Mis Jo cocked her head, thinking over what I just said. After a moment she nodded her head.

"I understand."

I shrugged and settled back into the saddle, relieved that she wasn't going to push the subject. I didn't really want to go into the whole genocide thing.

We stopped briefly at the top of a hill. The desert was bathed in pale, silvery moonlight. An occasional puff of sand would appear, pushed by the wind, and then disappear again. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, savoring the cool, sweet-smelling air. When I opened my eyes, Miss Jo was watching me thoughtfully. I blinked and then smiled slightly, almost sheepishly.

"I like the way night air smells," I explained, scratching my cheek.

Something flickered across her face.

"Me too. It makes me feel peaceful."

I noticed Happy was edging closer to Berta and was about to pull him away when Miss Jo spoke again.

"You're different from most people, Ben… Your eyes speak of things that most people haven't seen… Almost like an old man in a young man's body…"

I opted to stay silent and wrestled Happy away from the two females. I wasn't about to say to Miss Jo that I was 130-something years old so I better have old-looking eyes and was that a compliment or not.

She shrugged slightly and turned Berta in the direction of the ranch.

"And Ben?"

I looked at her.

"I think you'll win tomorrow."

And she was gone in a cloud of kicked-up sand.

--

"You're back late."

I had just walked into the bunkhouse. Vash was sprawled across my bed, a rather smug expression across his face. I felt myself scowl.

"Get off my bed, Vash. You're drunk and I'm not going to have you heaving over my pillows. They smell funny enough as is."

Vash stuck his tongue out at me in a perfectly impudent manner and stood up, swaying slightly. I eyed him with distaste as I took off my jacket and hat.

"I'm probably the only man here who won't have a hang-over tomorrow, aren't I?"

Vash shrugged and slumped into a chair.

"What's this that I heard 'bout you and a contest tomorrow?" he asked, blinking his eyes rather owlishly.

I hung my jacket on a peg and took a quick look down the row of beds. All the other men were sprawled in their beds in various uncomfortable-looking positions, snoring uproariously.

"I have a shooting contest tomorrow," I said flatly.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that," replied Vash. "When, where, why, and who, Bro."

"Technically it's 'with whom.' "

"Don't d-dodge the question," yawned Vash.

I sat down heavily on my bed.

"Tomorrow, noon, about two iles from here with Kinnes Milner. Because he challenged me and I want to."

"You aren't going to kill him are you?" Vash blinked worridly at me.

I scowled at him and lay down.

"Bro! Don't kill him!"

I threw a pillow in his face.

"Shut up and go to sleep, Vash."


	10. Chapter 9

**Enjoy **

**I do not own Trigun**

------

--

Morning dawned, sending a pink haze over everything. Or maybe that was just my eyes. Even after all this time, I still wasn't a morning person. With a slight groan, I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, nearly kicking Vash in the head in the process. He had kept the pillow I had thrown at him and was curled up on the floor, snoring slightly.

I watched him sleep for a minute, thinking about our childhood, our fights, everything. Yet despite all the bad blood between us, Vash still came to find me and stayed when he heard I might be in trouble. I sighed and dropped my blanket over him. I never would understand my little brother.

I yawned widely and pulled on my boots. Time to start a new day…

--

"BEEEEEEEEEEENNNEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

I poked my head over the edge of the loft where I had been shoveling down hay.

"Yes Miss Trisha?"

She glared up at me, hands on her hips.

"What are you doing up there?"

"Well," I said thoughtfully, leaning on the pitchfork. "Seeing as I'm in a loft, surrounded by hay and wielding a pitchfork, I'd have to say that I was up here getting fresh bedding for the thomases."

I flicked a piece of hay with my foot, sending it drifting down to land on Miss Trisha's head.

"But why are you working?" she demanded, shaking out her hair. I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a hired hand, I'm supposed to work."

"Do you really want to spend your last day working?"

I sighed and flung another clump of hay at her.

"For the absolute last time, this is not my last day on this planet! Ask my brother, he's an excellent gunman and know how adept I am. Now if you'll pardon me, I have to finish my chores before I leave. Off you go."

Miss Trisha made a 'hmmf' noise and sulked off somewhere, most likely off to find Vash. I continued to work for about another ten minutes.

"Ben,"

With a deep sigh, I made my way back to the edge. Miss Jo's pale blue eyes stared up at me, glowing weirdly in the dim light.

"If you're hear to try to keep me from going too…" I said, slightly irritated.

Miss Jo shook her head.

"You didn't come in for breakfast, so…" she said softly, holding up a thermos. I felt my mouth twitch into a smile.

"Thank you," I said in a gentler tone.

-.-.-

I had just woken up and as Knives had predicted, I had a massive headache and my mouth felt mossy.

"I really shouldn't drink so much," I groaned, getting up and scratching my head. "What time is it…"

"About 11 in the morning. Ben's going to be leaving soon."

I yelped and shot backwards. Trisha peered interestedly at me, perched on top of Knives' bed.

"Oh, it's you. Hi."

"Hi! Sleep well?"

"Ahuh… Wait did you say Ben's going to be leaving soon?"

Trisha nodded.

"I saw him saddling up Happy a minute ago."

"Gah!"

I stood up quickly, ignoring my throbbing head, and shot across the room and out the door.

"BRO!"

Knives was about to mount a large thomas, but stopped and turned when he heard me.

"Morning Vash. Got a headache?"

I skid to a stop.

"I want to come too!"

Knives frowned.

"No."

"PLEAAAAAAAASE? Pleasepleasepleaseplease?"

"No!"

The girl with the black hair, Jo I think her name was, handed Knives a water bottle.

"It might be a good idea to bring him along," she said softly. "Traditionally, there are witnesses for these sorts of things. And you might need help."

Knives' glanced at her, his gaze softening slightly, then looked back at me. I gave him puppy dog eyes.

"Oh fine," he grumbled. "But only because I know you'd follow me, even if I told you not to come."

I whooped gleefully. Knives ignored me and mounted the thomas with enviable grace. Neither of us liked thomases much, but Knives seemed to have an innate ability to ride them, despite disliking them. I rode like the proverbial sack of potatoes. When I wasn't falling off that is. Maybe Knives' skill came from the fact that he didn't take defiance from anyone under any grounds. That and he had never been a klutz.

Jo came out of the stable, leading a thomas for me. Knives eyed it distastefully.

"Miss Jo, are you sure that's wise? Vash isn't much or a rider and Berta never cooperates for anyone but you…"

"I'm sure," said Jo calmly, handing me the reigns. "She'll behave."

"Well this should prove to be quite interesting," Knives sighed and shrugged.

With a quiet prayer, I pulled myself up onto the saddle with some difficulty. Knives waited until I had a good grip on the reigns before urging his thomas into a gallop. I waved good-bye to Jo and followed him as quickly as I could, clinging on for dear life.

-.-.-

Vash kept talking the entire ride to the cliff. It was as if he was jamming all the conversations we hadn't had into a forty-five minute ride. He fell off Berta twice and I had to wait while he got back on, but other than that, we made good time.

"Bro?"

"Hmm."

"Do you think you'll ever come home?"

"….."

"Okaaaay…. Change of subject! Girls! Do you like anyone?"

"Vash, how long have you known me?"

"Since we were born."

"Have I ever shown an interest in a girl?"

"Well, not that I know of. We have been separated a lot you know."

"And most of that separation, my motto was 'squash the human race.'"

"Aha! WAS! You doooo like someone!"

"…."

"Hahahaha! Knives has a cruuuuuush!"

"I do not."

"Then why didn't you say anything, hmmmmm?"

"I was busy attempting to comprehend how incredibly stupid you are."

"Nah, you like someone."

"You're an idiot."

"But I know I'm right!"

"I'm not even going to continue this conversation, because whatever I say you're going to insist that it means I do like someone."

"Is it Trisha?"

I nudged Happy to speed up, leaving Vash behind me. Sometimes Vash was so irritating it made me wonder why I had ever wanted to build an Eden for him.

Vash was still prattling when we reached the cliff. Milner was already there, surrounded by his posse as usual. He raised his hand in greeting. I rode within talking distance, not returning the greeting.

"You're late," he said, tapping his leg with the riding crop.

I nodded my head at Vash.

"I had an unexpected addition to my group."

Milner smirked and shugged.

"No matter. Are you ready?"

"Yeah well you see I was thinking…" I said, shifting in the saddle.

"Chickening out?" taunted Milner.

"Didn't you're mother ever tell you it's rude to interrupt people?" I asked, eyeing him coldly. "As I was saying, I'm a busy man even if you aren't. I have work I need to finish back at the ranch, so I'd appreciate it if we could cut through all the shooting at bottles and such that are generally the opening acts of these little contests and get to the point."

Milner stared at me for a moment and the guffawed.

"Fine with me Manx if you want to cut your life a little shorter."

He dismounted and handed his thomas's reigns to one of his posse members. I yawned and dismounted as well.

"Bro!" hissed Vash.

I glanced up at him and handed over Happy's reigns. "What."

"Come on! Don't do this! You can't kill him!"

"Yes I can," I said levely, and walked off.

"So," smirked Milner. "Do you know the rules?"

"Yes," I replied. "But why don't you say them out loud so that all the witnesses can hear them?"

"You're a strange one, Manx. But I'll honor it as your last wish."

He turned to the posse and Vash.

"Listen up! These are the rule and you all are witnesses to show that this is a fair fight that follows the letter of the law! One! None of you are to interfere! Two! Neither of us shoots until the signal is given! The last man standing wins, got it?"

There was a general murmur of agreement from the crowd.

"What's the signal?" I asked.

"Campo there," Milner replied, waving to a large red-headed man, "is going to count to three. Then we shoot."

"Always three…From our holsters I presume," I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You got it. Now count off Manx."

We went back to back and walked apart, taking a step each time Vash counted out.

"Ten!"

We turned and faced each other.

"One!"

Milner placed his hand on his revolver.

"Two!"

I glanced at Vash and then back at Milner."

"THREE!"

Two shots rang out, echoing in the desert air.

I gasped slightly as ball of fire grew in my shoulder. Milner had shot me in nearly the same place Vash had a year and a half before. He had been aiming for my heart. I clamped a hand to the hole, staunching the flow of blood.

Milner swayed and crumpled to the ground, still. I drew a few breaths to steady myself then walked over to him. The posse and Vash were silent from shock.

"I win. You're not standing, Milner."

Milner stared up at me. Two bullets had been shot through his thighs, forcing him to fall. His mouth worked furiously for a moment before he got his voice back.

"W-what are you playing at! You didn't kill me! I only heard one shot from you! Your brother shot too didn't he?"

"Yeah well it's a funny thing," I said, checking the chamber of my colt with one hand. "You never said 'last man alive.' You said 'the last man satnding.' I'm pretty sure everyone heard you."

I showed him the two empty chambers of my colt and waved Vash over. "Took a leaf from my brother's book. Vash show him your gun chambers."

Vash obliged, opening his gun. All six bullet chambers were full. Milner sputtered. I grinned and kneeled down next to him.

"I won under your rules Milner. Oh, and I suggest you wrap those legs up. You won't be able to walk for at least a month, but we don't want you to die from blood loss do we?"

I patted his shoulder cheerfully and stood up, clamping a hand back over my wound.

"Come on Vash, let's go."

I walked back to Happy and Berta, Vash following. He held Happy still as I mounted up.

"Bro?"

I looked down at him. He stared back, eyes shining happily.

"Thank you."

I shrugged, then winced.

"I said I could kill him. Didn't say I would. Let's go."


	11. Chapter 10

**Sorry about the typos in the last chapter, i forgot to proof read before I submitted o.o;**

**Enjoy **

**I do not own Trigun**

------

-.-.-

It had been a while since Ben left. I tried to go about my daily routine as normal, but I couldn't help glancing in the direction of the cliff from time to time. Trisha moped around the house and Cat went around her business like nothing was wrong. I caught her looking at the cliffs a few times too though.

Although no one had spoken of it, the entire ranch was tense. This little contest was important for more reasons than Ben had realized when he expected it. These sorts of contests always ended with someone's death. If Ben died, everyone on the ranch would mourn. Everyone liked him, even though he seemed unaware of it. However, if Milner died…

I shuddered. Wishing a man's death was wrong, but I couldn't help thinking that if Milner died all our problems would resolve themselves. No more threats, no more vandalism. I wouldn't have to marry him, a solution I personally never thought would sate him for long. And Ben would be alive. Whenever I thought that Ben might not be coming back, the knot in my stomach would tighten.

"Miss Jo!"

I looked up blearily from where I was perched on a fence post. Jeb ran up to me and pointed excitedly down the road. Two riders could be seen approaching, their images fractured by the heat waves rising from the ground. I felt the knot in my stomach clench again.

"Is it?" I asked slowly.

"Yes Ma'am," said Jeb, nodding his head up and down vigorously. "I'm pretty sure it is! See! You can see Mr.Vash's hair from here!"

I slid off the fence, keeping my eyes fixed on the other rider.

-.-.-

"Bro, hold on. We're almost there."

I grunted and looked ahead, my vision blurred by pain. Vash had bandaged my shoulder before we left, but it had leaked through. My shirt and jacket were soaked with blood and I was dizzy from blood loss. I had already fallen off Happy once, so Vash had his reigns and was leading him. My only job was to hang on and stay awake. My condition had forced us to make the thomases walk, which added half an hour to the ride. Trotting and galloping sent jolting pains through my arm and shoulder. Unlike Vash, I had always had a relatively low tolerance to pain and was willing to put up with dizziness instead.

"BEN!"

I looked back up and squinted slightly. There was somebody running to us from the ranch. Probably Trisha… No there was black hair.. Jo…

I groaned slightly as another wave of dizziness washed over me and let my head sink down. I was faintly aware that the thomases had stopped. There was a hand on my knee. I caught small fragments of conversation.

"He won… Milner…legs… can't stand…"

" Ben… is he hurt?"

"…through the shoulder… blood loss…"

"…get him inside…JEB!… clean the wound…"

And then the world sank into a dark silence.

--

It was dark and quiet other than the ticking of a clock. I was wrapped in a warm blanket that smelled like the outdoors. Somebody had taken off my shirt and bandages were wrapped around my shoulder and chest. I sat still for a few moments, replaying events in my head, then yawned and tried to sit up.

"You're finally awake…"

Gentle hands pushed me back down against the bed.

"You stay there, young man. You're hurt."

I blinked a couple of times, trying to clear my vision.

"Jo? Miss Jo?"

"Yes?"

"How long have I been asleep…"

"About a day. Vash brought you in and Cat and I cleaned you up. You're lucky, the bullet went all the way through your shoulder, so we didn't have to go digging around for it."

I felt my mouth twist into a wry smile.

"Again, heh. Where's Vash?"

Miss Jo dabbed gently at my face with a damp cloth.

"He's sleeping. He's been by your side almost the entire time, but I made him go take a nap."

"Good," I sighed and closed my eyes. Miss Jo continued washing my face. When she finished, she put the cloth on the bedside table.

"I've got to change your bandages now, Ben."

I opened my eyes and looked at her.

"All right. Shall I sit up?"

"Well… Do it carefully… Here, I'll help."

With her help, I slowly managed to get into an upright position with minimal pain. Miss Jo removed the old bandages in a very business-like manner and put them to the side to be taken care of later. While she poured some disinfectant into a fresh bowl, I examined the bullet hole with some interest. It had started to bleed again slightly, staining the skin around it red. The hole itself crouched in the center like a dark red rosebud.

"This will probably hurt," said Miss Jo, holding up a cloth dampened by the disinfectant solution.

I nodded and shifted so that she could reach the wound more easily. The first dab sent a prickle of pain through my shoulder, but I just let my breath out in a hiss and held still. Miss Jo gave me an apologetic look and worked quickly. We didn't talk for most of the treatment. It was Miss Jo who broke the silence.

"Hold that pad there for a minute, Ben."

I complied as she took care of the back of my shoulder.

"Ben?"

'Hm." I grunted.

"Uh, when I took off your shirt, I noticed something.'

"What's that."

"You have a scar right by the wound. And one on your other arm…"

"And one on my left leg and two on my right," I added blithely.

Miss Jo blinked at my tone and started wrapping my shoulder and chest in bandages again.

"Did you get those doing whatever you did before you came here?"

I was quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Not exactly. They… well, Vash made them."

"What?"

Miss Jo dropped the end of the bandage roll, staring at me horrified. I smiled wryly, picking it up and handing it back to her.

"Don't look so shocked. I told you Vash and I didn't see eye to eye…"

"Yes but to shot you…" she said, as she continued the bandaging. "I can't imagine why… You're such a nice guy."

I snorted, trying to suppress my laughter. She gave me a confused look. This proved to be too much for me. I broke out into full-throated laughter, earning an alarmed look.

"Miss Jo," I chuckled after I had calmed down a little. "Of the two of us, Vash is the far better man."

"But he shot you…"

"And I've shot him," I said calmly, lifting an arm so that she could secure the end of the bandage. Miss Jo sighed and shrugged.

"All right… if you say so…"

"Think of it this way," I said, flexing my good arm. "If Vash hadn't shot me in the legs, I wouldn't have got the idea to do the same to Milner. I was crippled about a month after Vash did that to me, so I'd imagine Milner will be crippled for at least two. I'm a fast healer," I added hastily when Miss Jo shot me a questioning look.

"Anyway," I continued. "It'll keep us out of your hair for a while and I didn't upset Vash by killing anybody. Win-win situation."

Miss Jo smiled slightly.

"Other than you fainting from blood loss…"

"Well yeah…"

She stood up, gathering the bowls, cloth, and disinfectant.

"I don't know, maybe you should get wounded more often. It make you more talkative."

I eyed her, suspecting that she was teasing me.

"Says the girl who wanders the ranch like a ghost."

Her mouth twitched into her small smile again. Placing a hand on my head, she pushed me into a laying down position.

"Sleep, Ben. That's what you need right now."

"Yes Ma'am."

Miss Jo looked at me with a curious expression for a moment. Then, with a deep sigh, she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.


	12. Chapter 11

**Enjoy **

**I do not own Trigun**

------

--

I stepped out onto the porch and, for the first time in a week, took a breath of fresh. Ms. Cathrine and Miss Jo had finally given in to my complaints and allowed me out of bed. My shoulder still throbbed from time to time, but it was starting to heal and I was tired of being confined to bed.

With a contented smile, I inhaled deeply again, savoring the feeling of the breeze on my face.

"Sit."

I glanced over my shoulder at Mis Jo. She was pointing to one of the rocking chairs that always graced the porch. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't move.

"Sit," she insisted. "I'm letting you outside, but I'm not letting you wander around. Knowing you, you'll see something that needs doing and try to do it, even if it re-opens your wound. So sit."

I sat. Miss Jo could be scary sometimes.

"BEEEENNNEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Miss Trisha, the human juggernaut launched herself at me, neatly knocking the air out of my lungs.

"I've been so worried they wouldn't let me in the room to see you they said I'd be too noisy now isn't that ridiculous I was so worried about you how are you doing are you okay?"

Miss Jo silently pulled her younger sister off me. I ruefully massaged my ribs as Miss Trisha rattled off the events of the last week at break-neck speeds. I gave up trying to figure out what she was saying and leaned back in the chair. Miss Jo swung herself up to sit on the porch railing, watching her younger sister with amusement.

"So are you going to be better by then? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

I blinked a few times.

"Better by when? I didn't quite catch it."

Miss Trisha huffed in annoyance.

"I tooooooold you! The festival celebrating the start of civilization here!"

"People celebrate the Big Fall?" I asked, somewhat incredulously.

"Duh! Honestly, Benny! Sometimes I think you grew up under a rock! Of course we celebrate it! We're celebrating our survival as a human race!"

Oo yeah. Really sounded like something Knives Millions, attempted killer of the human race should attend… I could be the guest of honor! I could just imagine the signs; 'Come meet the person responsible for causing us to crash on this dustbowl!' Yup, should totally go…

"Hellooooooo? Benny? Earth to Benny!"

Miss Trisha waved her hand in front of my face. I frowned at her and ran a hand through my hair. She stared into my face.

"Miss Trisha, I really don't think…"

Her expression turned pleading.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase Benny! Josey said you'd be well enough by then! Please please please please pleeeease?"

"Well…"

"Yo, Bro!"

Vash clumped up the steps, looking as cheerful as ever. Miss Trisha launched herself at him.

"Vash! Make Ben come with us to the festival next weekend!"

Vash looked up at me, grinning. I stared mutinously back, daring him to try to make me go.

"_Don't even think about it, Vash," _I warned him.

"_Oh, finally took down the barriers, did you?"_ asked Vash cheerfully. "_I think you should come with us."_

"_I don't want to."_

"_Why not? You'll get to dance with some pretty girls and have some good food if you come!"_

"_I don't want to dance with pretty girls and I really don't care about food."_

"_Oh come on. Get that stick out of your rear and have some fun for once!"_

"_I resent that."_

"_You always do."_

I broke off contact and looked huffily away. Vash grinned and reached out, patting my head. I scowled darkly and folded my arms across my chest. If I hadn't been tired, he would have been booted across the porch for treating me like a small child.

"Come on, Bro," he wheedled. "It'll be fun! You work too hard, you need some fun time!"

"No," I said stiffly.

Both Vash and Miss Trisha fell on me like vultures, pleading and whining to get me to come along. Vash tried to win me over by telling me what fun I would have while Miss Trisha tried to convince me she would die right there on the porch if I didn't come. Miss Jo remained silent, watching the entire event with a faint smile and keeping her opinion to herself.

Finally, I threw my hands up in the air.

"Fine! FINE! I'll go! But just so you two will leave me alone!"

Vash and Miss Trisha whooped and joined hands, performing a very charming little victory dance right in front of me. It seemed to consist of bouncing in circles and singing "we won, he's coming," over and over. I sighed and rubbed one temple. As individuals, they were bad enough. As a duo, they were a recipe for Instant Headache.

--

"I'm gonna head up to the main house now! You get your rear up there as soon as you're ready, okeedoke Bro?"

I waved my hand at Vash to show that I had heard him and continued reading. He left, shutting the door noisily behind him.

The fateful day had come. In half an hour, the Ventura sisters, Vash, a few other hired hands, and I were going to ride into town for the big celebration. I was the only one who wasn't looking forward to the event. I could deal being around people and even liked a few of them now, but I didn't like them enough to want to spend an entire evening completely surrounded by them.

I sighed and shut the book. I had promised so I had to go. My nice blue shirt was sitting on the bed, waiting for me to wear it again. I sighed and idly scratched my cheek. I really didn't want to go…

I scowled slightly at the feeling of my beard under my fingers. I had never liked having a beard, but I had hoped it would help me hide from Vash. A whole lot of help it had been. I stared off at the wall, lost in thought. Quite suddenly, I had an idea. A slow smile spread across my face.

--

"BEN! COME ON!"

I dropped my hat down over my head and slouched out into the compound.

"I'm here, I'm here," I grumbled tiredly, cramming my hands in my jacket pockets. Ms. Cat peered interestedly at me.

"Always liked that outfit on you, Manx," she said. "You going to drive?"

I nodded and levered myself up into the driver's seat of the wagon. She settled down next to me while the rest of our group piled in the back. As usual, Miss Trisha bounced into the wagon as excited as anything and launched herself around my neck. Miss Jo followed at a far more sedate pace and sat neatly to the side.

"Hiya Benny! Aren't you excited? I certainly am! And you look so nice too!" Miss Trisha babbled happily. "Blue really suits you, it makes your eye dar-"

She cut herself off mid-babble and took a deep sniff. I eyed her with distaste.

"You smell different," she stated and took another sniff. "Like soap. Shavi-.. YOU DIDN'T!"

With that shriek, she took hold of my head and turned me to face her. I sat there calmly as she ran her hands over my newly-shaven cheeks.

"Wow…just.. wow! You look so different, Ben! Before you were the ruggedly handsome type and now you're handsome in a scholarly looking way! Wow! Doesn't he look handsome, Josey?" she asked turning my head forcefully so that Miss Jo could get a clear view of my new countenance.

She looked at me for a few moments, then looked down at her lap. The faintest tracings of pink were scrawled across her cheeks. Despite Miss Trisha's urgings, she didn't offer an opinion on my appearance, something I was exceedingly grateful for. I didn't want to know.

"Are we done admiring Ben's shave job?" asked Ms. Cathrine, a tad testily. "Yes? Good. Lets good?"

The poor woman was in knots. She was meeting her fiancée at the festival and badly wanted to get there. After a quick check to make sure everyone was there, I snapped the reigns and we were off.


	13. Chapter 12

**long chappie, sorry**

**Enjoy **

**I do not own Trigun**

------

"Isn't it _wonderful?"_

I looked rather bleakly at the large crown of people. Festive lanterns lit the streets while extra glows were given off by the various food stands. Laughter, music, and shouts permeated the air. The streets were completely packed with people while a whirling mass of dancers could be seen covering the hastily built grandstand. I fought a wave of nausea.

Miss Trisha clung to my arm, eyes gleaming with childish joy. Without waiting for me to answer, she dragged me off to start exploring, Vash following close behind us. Their excuse was that they were going to make sure I have fun, but I think Vash was a little nervous and Miss Trisha was apparently under the impression I would shave my head as well if I left her sight.

The two of them dragged me from booth to booth, practically bouncing in their excitement. At one booth, Miss Trisha stopped to play a game of ring toss. While she was occupied, I pulled Vash aside.

"Listen," I said in a low tone. "You can stop babysitting me. I swear I won't do anything."

Vash looked at me thoughtfully, not fully convinced.

"Did I kill Milner?" I demanded. "You know very well, the old me would have killed him without a thought. You can trust me not to cause a massacre, okay?"

"Well…"

"Oh come on, Vash," I sighed. "I know you want to go find a pretty girl and dance with her."

Vash gave me a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah well… heh heh…"

I folded my arms and gave him a look.

"Go on."

"Well… okay… If you promise not to do anything…"

"Scouts honor," I replied raising one hand in the proper salute.

Vash snorted in laughter.

"You were never a scout!"

"But you get my point. Go on."

With another sheepish grin, Vash disappeared into the crowd. A moment later I could hear him calling out, "Miss! Oh miss!" Some people never change…

"Look! I won!"

A small stuffed bear was shoved in my face. I leaned my head back and looked around it. Miss Trisha smiled happily up at me.

"Good for you. Now where do you want to go?"

Miss Trisha looked around.

"Oh, I don't know… Where'd Vash go?"

"He went to see if he could find a dancing partner," I yawned, shoving my hands into my pant pockets.

"Oo! Lets go too!"

"Go dancing?" I blinked.

"Yeah! Come on!"

Miss Trisha grabbed my hand and yanked me down the street toward the grandstand. The music grew louder as we drew closer to the slightly elevated platform, accented by the sound of feet hitting wooden boards. Miss Trisha led me up the steps and to the side of the dance floor. We watched the whirling skirts and shiny boots spin past. I knew Miss Trisha was waiting for me to ask her to dance, but I leaned against the railing and said nothing.

Ms. Cathrine whirled by in the arms of a slightly stocky, but handsome man, looking entirely blissful. A moment later, I saw Vash dancing with a slim brown-haired beauty. I watched them until they were lost in the crowd of dancers, a feeling of melancholy suddenly settling over me.

"Benny?"

I glanced over. Miss Trisha smiled up at me.

"This young man just asked me to dance. Is it okay with you?"

I looked at her for a moment, then felt myself smile.

"Go have fun Miss Trisha."

She smiled more widely and was swept into the kaleidoscope of dancers by a gangly red-haired young man. I watched for a minute more, then left the stand. I was hungry.

--

I didn't like humans very much, but I could say one thing for them. They made excellent pies.

I stood by the pie table nursing my second slice of apple pie. The old lady who was in charge of the table had apparently taken a shine to me and my blue eyes and was giving me slices for free. I had no complaints and when she asked, told her it was the best apple pie I had in a long time. Her eyes were almost lost in folds of skin as she smiled widely and started wrapping a whole pie up "for the polite young gentleman."

Carrying my prize, I wandered down the street, watching people go by. Families and couples laughed, talked, and occasionally fought in a good-natured way. The air was filled with joy, love, and contentment. Normally, it would have completely disgusted me, but tonight I found a bench, sat down, and started analyzing the emotions I ran across in the crowd.

That woman was proud because her pickles had won first place in a canning competition. A crowd of little boys yearned for a model rifle that was the grand prize for one of the games. That little girl was crying because her ice cream fell, but quickly dried her tears when her brother bought her a new one. A couple strolled by, completely in love. The boy was nervous, waiting for the right moment to ask for her hand. Drunks laughed loudly from the nearby bar, happy in a drugged way. Nowhere could I feel any malevolence or even fright, other than the occasional startled child.

"Ben?"

I swiveled my head back. Miss Jo looked down at me, head slightly cocked.

"Hi."

"Hello, Miss Jo," I replied standing up.

"What are you doing?" she asked sitting gracefully down on the seat I offered.

"People watching," I shrugged.

"Are you all right?" she asked in her quietly blunt way. I raised an eyebrow.

"You looked sad," she explained, smoothing her skirt over one knee. I glanced down at her hand and then back at the crowd.

"I'm all right," I said quietly.

She watched me for a moment, then looked down at the box next to me.

"What's in there?"

"A pie. Apple pie," I shrugged. "An old lady gave it to me because she thought I was charming," I added with a grin.

Miss Jo pressed a hand to her mouth to hide her smile.

"Yes, you're very charming all right."

I shrugged again and scratched my ear.

"So I've been getting free pie and people watching, but what have you been doing, Miss Jo?"

"Oh just wandering around," she sighed, leaning against the backrest. "I always thought of festivals as being sort of a couples thing, or at least a group thing. I didn't really feel like hanging around Jeb and the others, especially since I knew they were going to go cruising for 'chicks.' Speaking of couples, where's Trisha? I figured she'd be clinging to you."

"Oh, Trisha," I yawned. "She was being wooed by a gangly red head at the dancing pavilion last I saw."

"Didn't feel like hanging around to watch?" asked Miss Jo with a trace of amusement. I shrugged.

"Guess not."

We sat and people watched together for a few minutes. Finally, Miss Jo stood up with a sigh.

"I should go check up on Trisha," she said. "See what mischief she's getting up to."

I hastily stood and picked up the pie box.

"I'll come with you. She's probably still at the dancing pavilion. If not, we can look for her."

Miss Jo nodded in agreement. I looked at her for a moment, then hesitantly offered my arm. She looked up at me in surprise; I stared somewhat sullenly back. With a small smile, she took it and we walked to where I had last seen Miss Trisha.

My psyche was still partially in gathering mode, so I could hear muddled thoughts of people around me. As Miss Trisha and I passed an elderly couple, one clear thought from them sliced through the murky ramblings of others.

"_Ah such a sweet couple those two make. He looks nervous, maybe he's going to propose…"_

I swung my head around to look at the couple. Sure enough, the elderly lady was looking straight at me, her eyes gleaming in that unholy way women have when they've spotted a match. A burning sensation raced across my ears, a sign that they were probably bright red. I hastily put up my mental blocks, not wishing to hear anymore thoughts of that kind. I considered yanking my arm away from Miss Jo's grasp, but decided it would be rude. Not to mention she'd think it incredibly strange for me to do it for no apparent reason.

When we arrived at the grandstand, Miss Jo let go of my arm and started scanning the crowd.

"There's Vash," she commented. "You can see his hair… Oop! There's Trisha! Looks like she's still with the red head."

I looked over to where she was pointing.

"Yes, that would be the one I left her with," I nodded, shifting the pie box so that it would stop poking me in the ribs.

"Ben, will you dance with me?" Miss Jo asked suddenly.

I stared at her a few moments, blinking rapidly. She looked calmly back, waiting for my answer.

"Isn't it traditional for the men to ask the women?" I asked, stalling.

"Yes," she replied serenely. "But you wouldn't have asked me, would you? So I'm asking you."

I thought for a moment. Vash would probably tease me for at least a week if he saw me dancing with her. On the other hand…

Miss Jo looked up at me, her pale eyes reflecting the colored lights surrounding the dance floor. Something flickered in them, something that looked suspiciously like hope. I sighed deeply and shoved my pie box at a man who was probably in his late fifties and keeping an eye on a teenage daughter.

"I would appreciate it if you would hold my pie for me," I said stiffly. He resisted for a moment, but after I glared at him out of the corner of my eye, he was only too happy to hold it for me.

"Might as well do this right," I sighed. "Miss Jo, would you like to dance?"

I held out my hand. She took it with a smile.

"Yes I would, thank you."

I grunted and led her out onto the dance floor. She calmly swiveled so that she was facing me and placed her hand on my shoulder. I placed my hand on her tiny waist, very aware of the burning sensation racing across my ears again. After a small pause to get the beat, we moved to join the whirling mass, moving in perfect synchronicity.

"Ben?"

"Hmm?" I steered us around a slow-moving couple who was glued together by the hip.

"You're a very… precise dancer, aren't you?"

I glanced down into her eyes. They looked up at me, revealing the amusement that was absent from the rest of her face. I frowned slightly and looked away.

"Maybe."

"Maybe not," she replied. "You're very precise with everything, I noticed. When you're working, riding, even speaking. No wasted energy or needless movement in anything you do."

My eyes narrowed slightly.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Miss Jo smiled with suppressed mirth. "It was just an observation."

Over her shoulder, I saw Vash dancing with his partner of the evening. I tried to steer us away from them before Vash could see us. Too late… Vash's eyes widened when he saw me and his mouth slowly stretched into a wide grin.

"Way to go!" he mouthed. I scowled at him and resisted the urge to give him the finger. As if sensing my intentions, Vash gave me a mock horrified look, grinned, and swept his partner off into the crowd. I sighed deeply.

"You okay?"

I glanced down.

"Yes Miss Jo. I just saw Vash being... well , Vash being Vash."

"Ah yes… Ben could you do something for me?"

"Hmm?

"I would appreciate it-"

A somewhat drunken towns person waved an arm with great enthusiasm. I quickly dipped Miss Jo as the arm swept over our head with a faint whistling noise. Miss Jo waited until I pulled her back up before finishing her thought.

"-if you would stop calling me Miss Jo. Just call me Jo or Josey or even Josephine."

I frowned.

"But you're my employer…"

"Technically Cat is, not me. It makes you sound subservient, which quite frankly doesn't suit you."

I thought about that for a moment.

"As you wish."

"And no calling me 'Ma'am' either. It makes me feel old. I'm younger than you are."

No arguments there…

"As you wish Miss-...Josephine," I replied. She smiled up at me, her smooth black hair shining in the warm light. If I looked at her eyes, I could see my face reflected in their silvery-blue depths. Shaking my head slightly, I quickly looked away and swung her out of the path of another couple.

A few more skillful spins pulled us to the side of the dance area. Josephine removed her left hand from my shoulder, but kept her right tucked in mine.

"Thank you Ben," she said quietly.

"You're welcome…"

"Thank you for everything, not just for dancing with me. The ranch awes so much to you and what you've done for us."

I shrugged uncomfortably.

"I've just done my job…"

"You've done more than that, Ben. You've given us all time to think of a plan against Milner. You've made Trisha so happy. Cat depends on your good sense… We can never re-pay you for everything done…"

I looked at her levelly.

"And you Josephine? Have I done anything for you?"

Shock ran across her face.

"Of course! You've freed me, at least temporarily from marriage I didn't want!"

"I was just wondering, since you didn't mention yourself," I said evenly. "The ranch owes me nothing."

"Why?"

"Because you all have helped me as well."

Josephine waited for me to continue, but I just looked out silently across the dancers.

"You're a mystery, Ben," she sighed. "But I guess that's one of the things I like about you."

I whipped my head around to look at her. She looked up at me, face emotionless, but eyes alive and shining. My head was filled with a buzzing sound, the voices and music becoming muffled. Quickly I looked away, shaking my head slightly and pulling my hand out of her grip.

"I'm getting my pie," I said tersely, quickly losing myself in the crowd before Josephine could say anything.


	14. Chapter 13

It was quiet on the ride home. Almost everyone, worn out from their partying, was asleep in the back of the wagon. This left me alone to my thoughts, which was the way I wanted it.

When we reached the ranch, I stopped the thomases in front of the house and gently shook Ms. Cathrine awake.

"Ma'am, we're back," I called gently as she sleepily blinked her eyes open.

"Wha? Oh... good…"

She allowed me to lift her down from the seat and brushed down her skirts as I went to the back of the wagon. Jeb slid past me and staggered to the outhouse, followed a moment later by Brent and Caleb. The other two hired hands supported each other as they made their way to the bunk houses. I had no doubt they would be asleep before they hit the pillows.

Vash slid out of the wagon, carrying a sleeping Miss Trisha in his arms. He shrugged and grinned sheepishly when I raised an eyebrow. That man will never get tired of girls, will he?

Josephine slid off the end of the wagon, stumbling a little from sleepiness. I caught her arm and supported her until she regained her balance. She looked up and me and gave a murmured thank you before yawning widely and trudging up to the house. Ms. Cathrine followed not far behind yawning as well. If I kept seeing these people yawning, I was going to fall asleep right there in the courtyard…

--

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHNN!!"

I winced and wiggled a finger in my ear as there was a general chorus of groans from the rest of the boys. Hang-overs were running rampant this fine morning, so the shrill call hadn't been appreciated. I scratched my nose lazily and sauntered slowly up to the main house.

I knew what was happening, I had seen Milner's posse, minus Milner, ride up about fifteen minutes ago. I expected they carried some message from him for me or for the girls, most likely prattling on about revenge and such nonsense. Maybe it was a note saying how he was willing to forget the insult I paid to him and would still honor them by marrying Josephine if he saw me hanging from the flagpole. Something unoriginal like that.

Ms. Cathrine waved a folded letter under my nose.

"It's from Milner."

"You don't say. How are those leg wounds of his doing?"

I turned my head slightly as the Milner posse galloped down the road.

"It's for you," said Ms. Cathrine solemnly, pressing the letter into my hands. I nodded a thanks and unfolded it.

"Well?" asked Ms. Cathrine as I frowned and refolded the letter, shoving into my pants pocket.

"It seems that Milner wants to be my friend, " I frowned.

Ms. Cathrine blinked in confusion.

"Your.. friend?"

I shrugged.

"Is that a good thing?"

I thought for a moment.

"It depends. We'll see. He's invited you, Josephine, Trisha, and myself to dinner Friday night."

Ms. Cathrine clapped her hands together.

"Wonderful! This means that he's forgiven you!"

I gave her a weak smile and excused myself. Personally, I didn't think that Milner had done anything of the sort. I shot him in the legs and he was inviting me to dinner. Something smelled fishy.

I walked back to the bunk houses, looking for Vash. I found him by my bed, buttoning up his long red coat.

"Vash?" I asked stepping inside. "Are you going somewhere?"

He looked over his shoulder and smiled at me.

"Hey Bro. I was just going to go look for you to say good bye. It's time I head home."

I blinked a few times.

"Already?"

Vash shrugged.

"Yeah.. I've been gone a while, I want to get back to the Insurance girls. Besides, you're doing just fine. You don't need me to keep an eye on you."

I stared at him as he gave me a weak smile and shrugged again.

"You're leaving?" I repeated incredulously. "You're actually leaving?"

Vash frowned slightly.

"Is that happy or upset?"

I shook my head.

"I can't believe this. You're leaving."

"Yeah… What's the matter, Bro? I mean, we've been apart for a good part of our lives…"

I walked across the room and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You trust me, Vash," I said quietly. "For the first time since we were children, you completely trust me."

Vash's face lightened as he understood what my tone had been. Happy, shocked, and a little sad, all mixed into one. He clasped my shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"Yes, I do trust you. You look so peaceful here, Bro. I just can't take you away from what you've built for yourself."

I felt my face break into a wide smile.

"Keep an eye on the road, Vash. I'm going to come and see you one of these days."

Vash laughed and pulled me into a rib-cracking hug.

"I'll be waiting."

I hugged him briefly back and pulled away.

"Safe journey, Vash."

Vash saluted and slipped on his sunglasses. Slinging his travel bag over his shoulder, he turned and walked out of the bunkhouse. I followed him to the door and watched as he disappeared into the desert in the direction of town. A feeling of peace settled over me as decades of fighting blew away with the hot wind.

--

**I am soooooooooo so so so so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I promise, it picks up after this!**

**Trigun me no own**


	15. Chapter 14

"It strikes me that Milner is a fop," said Miss Trisha as I helped her out of the wagon. I raised my eyebrow at her, knowing full well she was teasing my stiff manner of speaking.

"What makes you say that, pray tell?"

"This house is a bit much, don't you think?" she replied, dusting off her skirt and straightening her hat. She had taken Vash's leaving in stride, smitten as she was with the red-head from the festival.

"I mean, is three stories and outside stairways to the balconies really necessary?" she continued.

I shrugged and held my hand out to Josephine. She took it without a word as she stepped down, letting go quickly as soon as she was steady on the ground. I mentally sighed. She hadn't talked much to me since the festival. I had the nagging feeling that she had been about to tell me something, something that I knew I didn't want to hear, before I had run off to retrieve my pie. And since I had… well, fled for lack of a better word, before she could tell me, she was going to sulk. This didn't greatly bother me, as I knew that sometimes it was actually healthy to have a good sulk once in a while, but I was starting to wonder how long it was going to last. Not too much longer I hoped.

I helped Ms. Cathrine down before handing the reigns to the hired hand. I gave him a warning glare to prevent any sabotage and turned. Milner was sitting on the porch, his legs wrapped in a blanket.

"Manx!" he called happily, waving.

Okay, something was very wrong here. I walked slowly up the steps, eyeing Milner warily. I briefly shook his hand, noting with great disgust his sweaty palms.

"I'm so glad you could make it! You and the lovely ladies!"

_Yes...I'm sure you are, you plotting little weasel man…._

I shook my head slightly and took a step back.

"Of course. Our pleasure, Milner."

He squinted at me.

"You look different… I can't quite put my finger on it…"

"I shaved my beard," I said flatly, shoving my hands in my pockets and glancing around. I didn't see anything suspicious yet, but that didn't mean everything was safe either.

"Come in, come in!" cried Milner jovially. "I have a rare treat for dinner tonight! I'm sure you're all going to enjoy it."

He spun his wheelchair around and wheeled in through the door. The girls looked at each other and shrugged before following him. I took the rear, mentally mapping out the lay of the mansion as we walked. I didn't want to get lost if a hasty retreat was needed, Of course I might just be paranoid. Humans were capable of exceedingly strange behavior after all.

Milner led us to the dining room, through many dark, gruesomely decorated halls. One hall seemed to hold his entire gun collection. On the walls of another hung the stuffed carcasses of various desert animals, positioned in gruesome poses. Dozens of staring glass eyes followed me as I walked under a stuffed sandworm, stretched the length of the hall. On the plus side, everything smelled lemon fresh,

"Here we are!"

I followed the three girls into a room and was instantly blinded. By the faint squeaks of displeasure in front of me, I could only assume the girls were experiencing the same sensation. In this room, everything _glittered._ Abundantly. Light reflected brightly off of the crystals and silver decorating every available surface. Mirrors covered the walls and even ran down the legs of the chairs and table. The smallest gesture would send a flurry of synchronized movement all over the room. It was a stark contrast to the gloomy, shadowy halls.

I waited a moment for my eyes to adjust to this Escher-esque room before following the rest to the table. We took our seats and sat in silence as servants came in bearing trays loaded with delicacies. I examined my reflection in my plate as the intricate serving dance unfolded around me.

"So Manx."

My head snapped up and to my right as I looked at Milner. He was smiling a wide smile, but there wasn't something quite right with it.

"You're looking well. I'm glad to see our little.. contest, hasn't unduly hindered you from your day to day duties."

I smiled cautiously back.

"I was very lucky in my recovery. I had the best care on the planet."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Josephine smile a little and look up at me. I kept my eyes on Milner.

"I was even lucky enough to be able to attend the Great Fall festival."

Milner raise his eyebrows slightly and nodded.

"Impressive. Tell me, did you find anything of interest there?"

I glanced briefly at a server as he placed a bowl of soup in front of me.

"Certainly. An elderly lady there made the most fantastic pies I have ever tasted."

"What, no shooting games? I'm sure you would have brought home the prize."

There it was. Milner's smile was just a little to wide and a little too unchanging. I looked calmly back at him.

"No doubt. I'd be able to win without even having to think about it. But that wouldn't be fair to anyone who truly wanted the prize and had worked hard and long on his, or her, skills."

I let myself smile slightly.

"Of course… If the prize was something I badly wanted.. I might have gone for it."

I saw Milner's eyes flicker to Josephine. When they came back to me, the smile had become slightly more strained. Tension was growing in the room as we looked at each other. He knew very well what I had meant, just as I had recognized his jealous barbs against my victory.

"**CRASH!"**

All eyes snapped to Miss Trisha. She wailed that she was sorry and that she hoped that it wasn't expensive and oh what a waste of such excellent soup and really she was just so sorry. Whether by accident or on purpose, her clumsy episode had at least broken the tension. Dinner continued in a more or less peaceful manner.

--

**HI**

**Trigun me no own**


	16. Chapter 15

After dinner, Milner pushed away from the table with a wide, fake grin.

"Manx, I have something that you simply must see!"

I sighed very slightly and looked at the clock. It was nearly half after 10 and I saw Miss Trisha hiding a yawn behind her hand.

"Perhaps another visit Milner?" I said politely. "It's late and the ladies should be getting home."

Milner made a great show of looking at his pocket watch.

"By Jove, you're right. I hadn't realized how late it was. Time simply flew!"

" But" he added, a distinct gleam in his eyes. "You really must come and see this. Why don't I have one of my men take the ladies home? When we're done you can take one of our thomases and my man can bring it back with him."

I was about to decline, but Ms. Cathrine spoke up,

"That would work out just fine Mr. Milner," she said, placing her napkin on the table.

I frowned at her, but she stood up, gesturing the other two to follow. In synch, they curtsied to Milner, Miss Trisha ending hers with an impressive wobble. I stood as well as Milner rang a bell for a servant. Within moments, a middle-aged mand with weary eyes and a drooping pepper mustache wandered through the door. Milner explained to him what was happening. He absorbed this information, nodded and led the women down the hall and to the door. Be fore they left, both Ms. Cathrine and Miss Trisha said good bye. Josephine simply nodded at me and followed the old man.

Once they had disappeared from my sight, Milner spun around and wheeled himself to a door in the other end of the glittering room.

"Come along Manx," he called, his voice losing some of its cordial tone now that the women were no longer within hearing. Apparently he no longer felt the need to be nice.

I followed him at a safe distance, uneasiness curling in my gut. He was plotting something, something that I seriously doubted would be good for my health if it succeeded. With the ladies gone, he had no reason to hold back. Ms. Cathrine in her naivete of this creature's dark side had delivered me directly into his hands. As we walked down the dark, silent halls I had the feeling one would get when walking to his own execution.

We were silent until Milner stopped in front of a pair of wooden doors. They were intricately carved, but the scenes portrayed in the dark wood were exceedingly gruesome. It was as if every act of cruelty and bloodshed imaginable had been lovingly carved into this morbid masterpiece. I shuddered slightly and looked away. Humans were so barbaric.

"Open the doors would you?" asked Milner in a bored tone. "They're too heavy for me in this blasted chair."

I glared at him for a moment and shoved the hateful doors open, resisting to wipe my hands after touching them. Milner wheeled past me, but I stayed where I was as an unimaginable stench rolled out to accost me. It was a smell of decay mixed with the coppery smell of blood and the pungent smell of anesthetic. It was horrifying. Between the door and the odor, the uneasy feeling in my stomach had just increased ten-fold.

"Come on Manx," called Milner impatiently. I swallowed the bile in my mouth and stepped after him into the darkness. Following the sound of Milner's wheelchair, I left behind the minimal light coming from the hall and turned a corner. I followed blindly, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dark, my head reeling from the stench.

There was a faint whirring and a rectangle of light appeared not too far ahead of my. It slowly grew, the profile of Milner cutting into it.

"This way," he called. moving toward the light. His voice echoed oddly in the confined space. I swallowed again and followed, my pace slowing as if my body already knew the horrors ahead and wished to delay the encounter. A dozen odd steps brought me to the threshold of the light. One more brought me through it. As I looked around in the room Milner had brought me to, my stomach churned wildly and bile filled my mouth once more. I had not seen such a nightmaric scene ever before in my life.

It was a lab.

More specifically, it was a plant lab.

Around me were tubes of preservation liquid filled with dismembered plant parts. An arm here, a lung there, a lone eyeball staring bleakly at me. Everything gleamed with surgical cleanness, but the smell of blood was heavy in the air. There were faint bubbling noises as fresh liquid was pumped through the tubes, keeping the specimens fresh.

I stumbled after Milner as he wheeled calmly through the nightmare, my head and stomach spinning. I was vaugly aware that he was saying something and struggled to hear him.

"-really quite fascinating. This one in particular is quite hardy."

My foot slipped slightly in something. Looking down, I saw a dark pool. I smeared my foot against the floor, leaving a bright red trail behind. It was blood. My eyes trailed from the puddle to the small trickle leading from it to a metal canister.

"Hmm, seems like that's leaking," said Milner in an uncaring tone. "I'll have to fix that."

I didn't respond, staring horrified at the table above the canister. A poor mangled plant lay there, strapped tightly. Her chest was cut open and I could see the sickly gleaming of her rib cage and lungs. An entire arm was gone, the other missing several fingers from its hand.

As if in a dream, I stepped closer, my chest tightening in disgust. As I leaned over the poor remains of my sister I made another discovery.

She was still alive.

**I don't own Trigun**


	17. Chapter 16

"They are incredible beings," said Milner coolly, unaware of my distress. "So very powerful, yet at the same time completely helpless to our will."

My hands convulsively clenched at his words. I bent over my sister, trying to block out his words. Sensing my presence, she slowly managed to turn her head to me and open her eyes. I had to force myself from taking a step back. Both of her beautiful luminescent eyes were gone, replaced with dark, bloody cavities that stared blindly up at me. She made a tiny noise and I felt a light brushing against my mind, but she was too weak to do anything else. Sadly, I reached out a hand and stroked her chalky, blood-smeared cheek.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't interfere with the specimen," said Milner wheeling to the other edge of the table. I looked up, glaring, at him. He had an intense, almost wild expression, staring around the nightmare he had created with his own hands. I could feel hate and rage bubbling up in my gut and it was all I could do to keep from throwing myself at this despicable monstrosity and tearing him from limb to limb.

"Vivisection?" I choked out. "You brought me here to show me the vivisection of a plant?"

Milner trained his beastial expression on me, mouth twisting into a weird smile.

"I know who you are."

I took an involuntary step back.

"What?"

"I know who you are, _Knives._" He wheeled so that he was directly facing me from across the table. "I've know ever since our duel. You're Knives Millions, former leader of the Gung-Ho Guns, and an independent."

I stared at him, incredulous. How could have this little worm have found out?

Milner gave a cackle.

"I knew there was something wrong with you. No normal person could have shot two bullets at the sound of one. No human would completely heal from a wound near the heart in a week or two. So I sent out my sources, looking for news of anything strange. I started with your brother, Vash. Vash the Stampede. The Humanoid Typhoon. Responsible for July and the Fifth Moon incident."

"I'm aware of my brother's track record," I snapped, panic and fury vibrating every nerve in my body.

Milner continued as if I hadn't interrupted him.

" It wasn't long before I discovered that he had a brother named Knives. Just like your little 'childhood nickname.' He was supposedly a quiet person, who stayed away from the people in the town and disappeared without a trace a few months ago. Around these two were whispered rumors of them not being quite human. Well when I sifted through these rumors, I found things that matched up. You were plants, independents. A rare breed of plants indeed."

"And you know?" sneered Milner, leaning forward over the plant's mangled body. "I was overjoyed."

I stared at him.

"I've never performed a vivisection on an independent. How very fortunate that you stumbled into my town."

I was filled with loathing as this foul little perversion of nature leered at me. My sister sensed my heightened emotion and shifted slightly, weakly reaching her remaining arm to me. Milner ignored this small gesture, completely focused on his prize. I took another step back, my eyes flickering around, looking for a way out. If only I hadn't left my .45 at home…

Leering at me, Milner wheeled around the table and advanced on me. I stepped back, my brain wheeling around. The sight of my sister, learning of Milner's plan, everything I had learned had sent my brain in to a state it was not recovering from. All it was sending my body was "_Get away, it's not safe, get away right now!_" Which really wasn't that helpful.

With a clatter, I backed into a rack of specimen tubes. They wobbled, one landing on the floor near with my foot. It shattered open, spraying my pant legs with preservative. A heart went bouncing wetly across the floor, landing not far from Milner. He continued forward, eyes fixed on me with an animalistic gleam.

_Come on Knives, think!_

I scrabbled away from the racks of tubes, my feet slipping on the spilled fluid and broken glass, my eyes fixed on the threat. To my horror, it seemed that Milner was wavering in and out of focus.

_Dammit…_

I turned and ran for the door, but it was as if I was in a nightmare. I was running as hard as I could, but the walls were creeping by with agonizing slowness. Behind me, I heard Milner laughing. It sounded metallic in my ears.

"It looks like the drugs are finally taking affect," he chortled. "It's really amazing how much you have to use on plant in comparison to humans."

My legs and arms were slowly going numb. I could no longer feel my hands or feet. The next step I took made me plunge to the floor. I felt nothing as my knees gave a sharp crack against the hard floor. I could only hope that it meant nothing was broken. Before I had a change to try to get up again on my dead limbs, my head was pulled sharply back, forcing me to look into Milner's face.

"The girls… you didn't…"

Even my words sounded numb, garbled by the tongue lying heavy in my mouth. Milner seemed to understand me though.

"Of course not. Why would I harm any of them? I study plants not humans."

Although I didn't trust him, knowing the Ventura sisters were all right gave me a small amount of peace as the nefarious drug overcame my last defenses and plunged me into a deep sleep.

--

**Trigun belongs to Nightow**


	18. Chapter 17

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was strapped to something. My second observation was that this something must be upright if the pull of gravity was anything to judge by. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around me, confirming that I was in the lab and what had gone on before was not simply a nightmare brought on by rich wine.

I shifted slightly and the leather straps across my chest and stomach bit cruelly into the bare skin. My arms were stretched to their limits and bound at a forty-five degree angle from my body. From what I could see and from my small, futile struggles, I could infer that my legs were bound in the same way. Worse yet, the bindings were strong and well connected. No matter how much I strained against them, I was only rewarded with pain. Granted, thanks to that heinous drug I had been given, my strength was still much less than its normal levels.

Since escape attempts were proving fruitless, I looked around the room I was being kept in, searching for anything that might possibly be helpful. It was similar to the lab I had been in before, except it was smaller, had fewer specimens on the walls, and smelled even fouler. Best I could tell, I was the only living thing there. A position I was sure would not last long.

Slowly, as the drug wore of, I regained more of my logical reasoning power. In the position I was currently in, there wasn't much I could do. I was still too weak to break the bonds by physical means. The only way I'd be able to escape was if Milner released me, which was highly improbable.

Then again… I could use my power…

I quickly dismissed that as a last resort. There was no way for me to fine-tune it right now, I was too dazed. An uncontrolled release of power would easily kill everyone within a 10 ile radius. Normally I wouldn't hesitate… But the ranch wasn't that far away… The thought of knowingly killing the Ventura sisters, the hired hands, the people I had become friends with… I couldn't do it… Not right now…

My scattered thoughts were further disrupted by the faint clicking sounds of Milner's wheelchair. They grew louder as the platinum blond psychopath came into view. His expression hadn't changed from the last time I had seen him. Perhaps the old wives tale was true and your face _could _get stuck that way if you held it too long.

"Awake I see," cooed Milner, stopping in front of me. I glared at him.

"Shame," he said. "For you anyway. If you had stayed under, you wouldn't have to feel the incisions."

"You're sick," I spat. "You know that? Really sick."

"Mmhmm…"

He wasn't looking at me. He was too busy looking in his cabinet of tools. If he pulled out a rusty saw and announced he was going to eat my brains, like that character from a cartoon Vash and I had watched when we were little, I was going to blast him. While laughing my head off, probably.

"I think I'll see how you two interact," mused Milner out-loud. "She seems quite agitated that you're here."

"Josephine?"

My brain spat out the first name it landed on. This seemed to greatly amuse Milner.

"Of course not. The plant."

Oh. My sister. The embodiment of my seemingly inevitable fate. I sighed and let my head drop against my chest, Of course she was agitated, she knew what was going to happen. And because of this, I knew it to. She had been sending me flickering images of what was going to happen for the past few minutes, her power boosted by terror. The future did not look pretty.

Milner snapped his fingers an she was wheeled into the room by a huddled shape covered in rags. My mind flickered briefly to Hoppered the Gauntlet before focusing on my sister. It may have been my second time seeing her, but it might as well have been my first. The sight of her maimed body sent my body into spasms of revulsion and horror.

Milner laughed at my expression and wheeled over to me, a scalpel gleaming in his hand. I struggled against the straps, but despite my best efforts the gleaming blade came nearer. Without any hesitation, Milner cut into my arm, sending a flash of pain up the limb and into my mind. I cried out in pain, and was echoed by my sister laying ten feet away. Milner watched with interest, jabbing my arm in various places, noting each time the plant and i cried out in unison.

"How very interesting," he said, roughly yanking the scalpel out. "It's like you were one organism. Why is that?"

I gritted my teeth against the new wave of pain and didn't answer.

"I asked you a question," snapped Milner.

I glared up at him.

"We are one. Every plant is part of a great conscious. Each time one of us is hurt, each time one of us dies from human greed, the entire planet rings with our cries."

"I've never heard such a cry," said Milner cooly.

"Your pathetic human brain is too weak to hear it," I spat.

"Oh? I can hear your cries and her cries perfectly well."

I glared at him.

"These are not the cries I am talking about. These cries are the cries of pain every animal has. What you cannot hear is the weeping of all the plants all crying out together against this cruelty."

He shrugged.

"Pretty words. I don't believe it though. Plants are just generators that echo human intelligence."

**Ooooooo Milner's goin' daaa-own...D**

**So so so so sorry about the wait! My teachers thought it would be great fun to dump an insane amout of work on me --**


	19. Chapter 18

I growled at him and strained against the straps holding me back. Despite the jabbing, my strength was beginning to come back as the drug wore off.

"We echo nothing!" I snarled. "We are superior to you filthy humans in every conceivable way! You could not survive without us and yet you have the audacity to abuse us!"

Milner shrugged, unflappable.

"Do you pity the cattle you eat? I think not. It's the same really."

My fury was rapidly rising, sending spasms of power through my system. The restraint system shuddered against my rage, creaking and groaning as the leather fibers started separating. A flash of panic flickered through Milner's eyes as he watched. Obviously thinking to stop or slow me, he pulled back his hand to throw the scalpel. It clattered harmlessly to the floor as fingers snatched at his wrist. My sister was resonating with my power, finding enough in her system to move. Milner gave a high-pitched screech as her mangled body slipped from the gurney and fell heavily against him, knocking him out of his wheelchair and to the floor.

A high-pitched humming filled the air as we two plants resonated, power flowing between us. I could feel my sisters conscious flowing into me, increasing my own strength. The leather bands holding me could not take the strain any longer and separated, dropping me to the floor. I fell and rolled to my feet, oblivious to pain as the rage and power coursed through my veins.

Milner lay limp under the plant's body. He was either dead or unconscious from cracking his head against the hard floor; frankly, I didn't care which. Carefully I gathered the remains of my sister in my arms, hugging her withered body to my chest. Looking straight ahead, I walked to the door and kicked it open with a loud bang. As I made my way out of the mansion, I saw people catch sight of me and run much to my satisfaction. I must have looked similar to a devil in their eyes, the very air charged with the energy now running rampant through my body.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, I knew something was wrong. Dawn was just breaking, but the normally pearly light had a wavering quality to it and the clouds had a greenish-yellow hue to them. The air was charged and nearly vibrating with energy. A low humming was in the air.

I looked down at the plant in my arms to see how she was reacting to this phenomenon, only to find that she was dead. Her last act had been to help save me and I was unable to save her in turn. I hugged her to me for a moment, then raised my head, listening.

The humming was not really humming, but a chorus of whispered voices in my mind. I understood immediately what was happening. The five plants of the city were responding to my energy and the death of their sister, resonating and amplifying each other. Unless they were stopped, they would keep amplifying each other until they went out of control. They would release so much energy in a massive explosion that nothing in a 40 iles radius would survive, myself included. There was no way to get to a safe place in time and the humans were probably unaware of the problem, so there was only one thing to do. I had to stop the plants myself.

Muttering a few words of thanks to my sister, I placed her gently in a little hollow of a sand dune. If I made it, I'd come back and bury her. If I couldn't come back, the wind would bury her for me.

That done, I turned and ran to the other end of town where the plant bulbs were. The people in the streets were staring at the sky and muttering about tornadoes. Some of them had a sense that something far worse than a tornado was lurking on their horizon. As I neared the bulbs, I heard someone call out to me.

"Ben!"

Josephine and a few of the hired hands pushed their way through the crowd to me.

"Where have you been?" cried Josephine, her normally taciturn face a riot of emotion. "We've been looking everywhere for you! You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine," I responded, not slowing down. "Get out of town fast."

Instead of obeying, they ran after me, Josephine shoving her way up next to me.

"What's going on Ben?"

I paused a moment before answering.

"The plants are resonating. If they aren't controlled, they'll release a blast of energy that will decimate the town and everyone in it."

"Then why are you running towards them!" She squeaked. "You should be going the other way!"

"Because I can stop them," I snapped, in no mood to deal with questions.

Another pulse of energy throbbed the air. My cells beat in time with the thrum, vibrating and sending a spark of pain through my wounds. There was a tightening on my right arm as the Angel Arm responded, threatening to manifest itself even without my gun. I gritted my teeth and continued.

My to my anger, Josephine and the hired hands continued to follow me instead of leaving town as I had yelled at them to do. Well, fine with me. If they were stupid enough to think they would survive a blast, then they deserved to die and reduce the surplus population. I had warned them once, I wasn't going to do it again.

'_You would care'_ whispered a little part of me. _'You would care if they died.'_

I shook my head slightly and continued. As we drew closer to the bulbs, the crowd grew thicker. People had discovered that the plants were the source of the problem and their insatiable curiosity had drawn them to the site as flame draws a moth. Just like a moth, they would be burned as well.

Unless I could get there in time.

I dove through the crowd, elbowing indiscriminately at the people. I might have broken a few noses and doled out a good number of black eyes, but I wasn't going to lose any sleep over it. It was a case of move it or lose it and several people definitely lost it for lack of moving out of my way.

There was a large space around the bulbs as none of the civilians were willing to get near the humming orbs. However as I broke through the line and ran closer, I saw a group of engineers clustered around the base of one of the bulbs. A few turned their heads as I skidded to a stop next to them.

"Get out of here!" I snapped. "These plants are about to blow, so get out of here!"

I mentally added '_You bloody idiotic parasites,'_ but didn't say it because I wanted them out of my way and antagonizing them probably wasn't the best way to do so.

They stared stupidly at me for a few precious seconds. I shuddered as the humming moved into a higher frequency.

"We're trying to fix it," one of them finally said.

"I'll fix it!" I snapped. "Just get out of here!"

They looked at each other and then back at me. One of them opened his mouth, probably to argue, but I had had enough. I quickly sent a few tendrils of power into each of their brains and they went marching off across the sand, looking like giant marionettes. Once they were out of my way I could work without any interruptions.

I turned to the nearest bulb and placed my hands on the glass, fighting through waves of energy to find my sister's mind. She reached out to me as well, trying to draw me further into the resonance.

"_Stop!"_ I called out to her, struggling to keep her conscious from flooding mine. _"Stop, you're going to kill us all!"_

She did not seem to register what I was telling her at first. Waves of confusion surrounded me as she tried to understand. After a moment she asked me, didn't I want the humans to die?

"_Not the humans! Us! You five are going to kill yourselves and me if you don't calm down!"_

There was a small flicker of realization. The message was quickly relayed to the other plants and I had all of their attention within moments. I explained again that they had to calm down or else they would kill themselves. One of the plants saucily asked if I was sure that was the only reason I wanted them to stop.

"_Isn't it enough?" _I snapped.

She replied snippily that I needed get offended and it wasn't her fault if I was ashamed of my own feelings. I demanded an explanation from her, but she just giggled and broke away. By this time the other four were giggling as well, but each time I demanded to know why another would break away.

I was left standing at the edge of a bulb, glaring at the shadowy figure within. It took me a moment to realize that the air was still and the five had curbed their power and calmed down. The air was deathly silent now that the humming stopped. I sighed in relief and turned, grateful that it was over and perhaps now I could go home and sleep.

The entire town was staring at me, slack-jawed.

_Shit,_ I cringed inwardly. I had completely forgot that they were all there and had seen the whole thing. It was only a matter of seconds before they either started cheering or brought out the pitchforks.

A stone ricocheted off the glass near my ear. I jerked away, narrowly avoiding the rebound. A roar built up in the crowd and stones began raining down around me. It seemed that the towns people had decided to cast out the monster that had just saved their lives.


	20. Chapter 19

I looked around, panicking as rocks clattered around me. All the friendly faces I had grown to know over the past few months were now looking at me with hatred and fear. I yelped in pain as a rock hit the center of my hand, another clipping my shoulder.

"Monster! Get out of here! You don't belong! Outsider! Go away!"

I scrambled backwards, stumbling to the ground and pressing against the bulb, looking frantically for a way out, a single friendly face.

There were none.

I was alone.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!"

Like a ray of light, Josephine's voice cut through the shouting. She elbowed her way through the crowd, even biting a few people who tried to grab and pull her back. Breaking through, she threw herself over me, shielding my head and torso with her body.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE! ALL OF YOU!"

A cut on my forehead dribbled blood. I shut my eye tightly against the stinging pain as the sticky liquid flowed into my eye. Whispers hissed around us like the wind.

"Miss Jo, what are you doing?" asked Jeb. "He's not one of us, he's a monster. You saw what he did."

Josephine whirled around, her hair escaping its bun and flowing around me like a protective curtain.

"I saw him save our lives, you nincompoops! So what if he's different? He saved us! And is this how you thank him?"

"But Miss Jo… He's been lying to us."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't tell us what he was… And his name isn't Ben Manx! That's Knives Millions!"

"So?" spat Josephine, still protecting me with her body.

"Miss Jo, he tried to kill the entire planet!"

"I object," I stated flatly, trying to staunch the flow of blood from my forehead wound. "I didn't try to kill the entire planet, just the human part…"

Josephine gave a shush motion and stood up in front of me, feet placed firmly apart, arms akimbo.

"Well, gee I wonder why he didn't tell us that he was a plant? I wonder why he chose a different name."

Her voice was laced heavily with sarcasm.

"Do you think maybe it's because he knew this would happen? Do you think that maybe he just wanted to be left alone?"

"Yeah, left alone so he could finish what he started!" shouted a voice from the crowd.

"HE COULD HAVE KILLED ANY OF US!" shouted Josephine furiously. "AT ANYTIME! HE HASN'T! IF HE WAS THAT EVIL, WHY DID HE JUST SAVE US ALL? YOU _IDIOTS! _YOU DISGUSTING, PREJUDICIAL, _ANIMALS!"_

I sighed slightly. This wasn't going to help… Humans had never trusted independents fully and never would. They were too afraid of what was different. You saw it everywhere, hating others for their different color skin, or their religion, or just if they weren't just the right level of intelligence. Coupled with their fear of things more powerful, superior to them, independents had no chance against the humans. We would never be accepted for what we were.

Vash always thought that we could have the humans accept us. If they panicked, we would run away and come slowly and carefully back, trying again and again until we were accepted. I didn't agree; I knew human nature too well. That is why my naïve brother's body was covered in scars and grates while mine had only the few small scars he himself had given me.

Slowly I stood, squinting through the blood. The entire crowd took a step back as the sensed my mounting anger. I scanned the crowd, back ramrod straight, hands clenched. I could tell my gaze had become cold and dangerous, an aura of fury building around me. No one could look me straight in the eye. Josephine looked up at me, hesitantly touching my arm. I glanced down at her and then turned my gaze back on the crowd.

"Insolent spiders," I snarled. "Your stupidity and ignorance never fail to amaze me. Josephine was right; all I wanted was to live in peace, to be left alone. I was starting to think that maybe I had been wrong about humans before. Thank you so much for proving to me that my initial opinion was correct! You parasites! You do not deserve this planet. The stupidity of one of your fellows caused this mess and next time, I won't be the one to clean it up for you! No, I'll stand by and laugh while the energy disintegrates every trace of you filthy vermin."

Without looking either way, I strode toward the crowd. They hastily backed up, stumbling over each other in their hurry to get out of my way. Those who could not move any farther away from me cowered in fear, filled with the sense of oppression that emanated from my very being.

"Ben!"

Running footsteps behind me. I jerked as Josephine grabbed my hand. Without stopping, I yanked my hand away and continued to walk. I was leaving this cursed place and I wasn't going to look back.

"Ben!"

"Didn't you hear them?" I snapped. "I'm not Ben! I'm Knives."

Josephine ran up and stood in front of me.

"Ben, Knives, I don't care, you look like the same person to me. Stop, please! Talk to me!"

I laughed shortly and pushed past her.

"Fine! If you won't stop, I'll come with you!"

I whirled around to face her.

"Don't be stupid," I snapped. "You'll be ostracized if you do that. Keep your comfortable little life, and don't follow me. You're already in enough trouble for what you've done."

Her chin jutted out defiantly.

"I don't care. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

I just stared at her for a few moments, disbelieving.

"Do what you want," I grumbled. "I'm not going to stick my neck out for you."

Josephine shrugged and followed me as I left the town for the last time.


End file.
